Capital Fugitive Picchi Raja Arrested At Airport

A prominent individual listed as a high-level drug trafficker and gangland enforcer within the Mohammadpur sector of the capital city has been apprehended by law enforcement officials. The suspect, identified as Mohammad Raja—frequently known by his criminal alias “Picchi Raja”—was detained on Tuesday evening, 19 May, within the high-security perimeter of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. The formal execution of the arrest was officially confirmed later that evening by Jewel Rana, the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of the Mohammadpur Zone of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

According to senior police officials, the targeted operation was successfully carried out immediately upon the suspect’s arrival in the country from Thailand. The interception and subsequent arrest were conducted by the local Mohammadpur division in close operational coordination with the Airport Police Station personnel, who had been placed on high alert. Administrative sources confirmed that the suspect was accompanied by his wife and his brother-in-law at the exact moment he was taken into police custody at the terminal.

Comprehensive Criminal History and Judicial Record

Investigative dockets maintained by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police reveal an extensive and long-standing criminal record associated with Mohammad Raja. The suspect currently faces a total of approximately 29 active, pending criminal cases registered at the Mohammadpur Police Station alone. These serious judicial matters are at various stages of trial and formal prosecution within the national court system. The comprehensive legal breakdown of the charges pending against him includes:

• Murder: Three distinct, fully registered cases of culpable homicide.

• Attempted Murder: Seven separate criminal cases involving grievous assault and intent to kill.

• Explosives Offences: Four active cases filed under the Explosives Act concerning the illegal possession and deployment of destructive devices.

• Special Powers Act: One serious indictment under the Special Powers Act, 1974.

• Physical Assault: One case involving public rioting and unlawful violence.

• Narcotics Offences: Thirteen independent cases registered under the Narcotics Control Act for large-scale drug distribution and smuggling.

Territorial Control and Transnational Flight

Intelligence reports indicate that for a considerable duration, Mohammad Raja had actively established and maintained direct territorial control over various illicit operations, including gangland extortion and the local distribution of illegal narcotics, within the densely populated Geneva Camp enclave of Mohammadpur. To evade continuous law enforcement crackdowns and targeted sweeps by the joint security forces, the suspect routinely transitioned into deep domestic hiding before fleeing the borders of the country.

Upon receiving verified intelligence indicators confirming that the suspect had successfully established a temporary sanctuary outside national borders—specifically within the Kingdom of Thailand—the central detective and metropolitan police divisions significantly escalated their surveillance networks and issued border alerts. Intelligence tracking culminated in the precise identification of his return itinerary on Tuesday evening.

Previous Apprehensions and Impending Legal Proceedings

This development does not mark the suspect’s first major encounter with law enforcement operations. Historical police logs confirm that Mohammad Raja had previously been arrested by security forces on 29 September 2024. During that specific high-profile raid, law enforcement personnel successfully recovered a substantial cache of illegal firearms, ammunition, and a significant commercial quantity of prohibited narcotics from his immediate possession.

ADC Jewel Rana stated that detectives are currently conducting rigorous debriefings and verifying further intelligence regarding the suspect’s operational networks, cross-border financial transactions, and local accomplices. The Additional Deputy Commissioner emphasized that all necessary statutory and formal legal proceedings are actively being processed to ensure the suspect is presented before the judicial magistrate for formal formal remand and trial.