DHAKA — Officers from the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) have dismantled a sophisticated drug syndicate operating within the Korail slum in Dhaka, arresting three individuals who allegedly used a pigeon breeding enterprise and a local cooperative association as fronts for illicit trade.
The arrested individuals have been identified as 38-year-old Md Rana, 40-year-old Nurunnahar—the wife of the alleged syndicate kingpin known locally as ‘Kabutar Momin’—and 28-year-old Md Ashradul Islam. During the coordinated operation, officers seized 610 grams of heroin, 253 Yaba tablets, a quantity of foreign liquor, cannabis, and 4.306 million BDT in cash derived from drug sales. The alleged ringleader, Kabutar Momin, managed to evade arrest during the raid and remains at large.
Providing details on the operation, DNC Deputy Director Md Rajiur Rahman stated that five specialised teams from the Dhaka Metro (North) office carried out targeted strikes across multiple locations in the Korail slum. The raid followed weeks of intelligence gathering and covert surveillance on Kabutar Momin, a listed suspect on narcotics databases. Intelligence indicated that substantial quantities of illicit substances were stored inside his residential property.
Search operations were conducted simultaneously across Momin’s residence, his pigeon trade outlet, the office of a local cooperative society he managed, and a mobile financial services shop under his control. Initial interrogations revealed that the syndicate had long maintained its narcotics supply chain under the guise of trading pigeons and managing community savings accounts. Transaction funds were funneled through mobile banking channels to disguise the proceeds of crime.
In addition to the primary arrests, officers apprehended four individuals caught consuming narcotics at the scene. They were immediately produced before a mobile court operating alongside the raid and handed varying custodial sentences based on summary trials.
Sprawling across roughly 90 acres in the heart of the capital near Gulshan and Banani, the Korail slum is home to tens of thousands of low-income residents and informal workers. Due to its dense population, maze-like alleyways, and numerous exits, the area has historically presented complex security challenges for law enforcement agencies attempting to curb illicit trade. Criminal networks frequently exploit these physical realities, concealing illegal operations behind legitimate small businesses such as mobile top-up kiosks, poultry stalls, or neighbourhood financial cooperatives. Law enforcement authorities confirmed that law enforcement teams are maintaining heightened vigilance across the area, with targeted operations continuing to apprehend the fleeing syndicate leader and unravel the financial network supporting the trade.
