Detectives have detained 84 young people, including two daughters of a senior police official and an Afghan national, during a overnight narcotics raid on a residential building owned by an Additional Deputy Inspector General (Additional DIG) of police in Dhaka’s Bhatara area.
The Uttara Division of the Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police launched the crackdown late on Monday night at Police Housing-1. Officers rounded up 58 young men and 26 young women inside the three-storey residence. During the operation, detectives seized quantities of cannabis, yaba tablets, alcohol, drug consumption paraphernalia, and contraceptives.
Following the raid, Inspector General of Police Md Ali Hossain Fakir issued an official administrative order transferring the homeowner, Additional DIG Abdullah Al Zahir, from his post in the Repair and Maintenance wing to police headquarters.
Investigating officers revealed that Additional DIG Zahir let out the property, built on a portion of a six-and-a-half katha plot, through the popular online homestay platform Airbnb. The venue hosted overnight stays and high-decibel DJ parties for domestic and foreign guests. Zahir appointed a co-host, identified as Mahbub Alam, to manage daily property bookings and check-ins. Online reservations brought in steady revenue, with 70 percent of total rental proceeds transferred directly to Zahir’s personal bank account.
Deputy Commissioner of DB Uttara Division, Elias Kabir, confirmed that the midnight raid followed specific intelligence detailing illicit gatherings and drug transactions within the police housing complex. He noted that the three-storey structure contained five rooms that were regularly booked for parties. Groups of up to ten individuals rented individual rooms, while additional guests paid a registration fee of 600 BDT per head to join large-scale gatherings. These events ran from noon until 8:00 am or 11:00 am the following day, generating roughly 100,000 BDT per session across 18 to 20 monthly bookings.
The incident has sparked scrutiny regarding the source of funds used by the police officer to purchase the prime property in Bhatara. Local law enforcement officers acknowledged that administrative inaction had previously allowed illicit activities to continue unabated at the site for months.
Defending his position, Additional DIG Zahir stated that the property was rented out exclusively through digital platforms under explicit terms. While acknowledging that he could not evade ultimate responsibility if illegal activities transpired on his premises, he denied any knowledge of unlawful conduct. Zahir claimed the venue had been booked under the guise of a private birthday celebration and maintained that he was unaware guests intended to bring narcotics onto the property.
Legal proceedings against the 84 detained individuals are currently underway.
