Police in Khilkhet have rearrested Mohammad Ismail Hossain Babu, widely known as “Mofa Babu”, for his alleged involvement in extortion, assault, and narcotics trafficking in the Nikunja-2 area of Dhaka. The 30-year-old suspect was taken into custody late on Friday, 23 October, marking his seventh arrest in just two years. Following his apprehension, Khilkhet Police Station formally registered a new case against him on Saturday, 24 October.
The latest charges against the suspect, who originates from Ramkeshab in Bhola’s Borhanuddin upazila and currently resides in Khilkhet’s Tanpara area, fall under Sections 143, 341, 323, 385, 506, and 34 of the Penal Code. These statutory provisions encompass unlawful assembly, wrongful restraint, causing hurt, extortion, criminal intimidation, and acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention.
Local residents and business owners have long complained that Babu has turned Nikunja-2 into a hub for his illicit operations. According to community members, his habitual cycle of arrest, brief detention, and subsequent release on bail has allowed him to resume aggressive extortion, public drug dealing, and physical violence with relative impunity. Records reveal a persistent pattern of illegal acts, including incidents in July and October 2025 where he was detained for vandalism, assault, and demanding protection money from a shopkeeper. By July 2026, he was apprehended by Detective Branch officers outside a Nikunja-2 restaurant with a sizeable consignment of yaba pills, alongside multiple previous detentions by army personnel.
Babu’s ability to evade long-term legal consequences stems largely from political patronage. He serves as the Member Secretary of the Ward 96 Sechchasebak Dal in Khilkhet, the volunteer wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Intelligence reports indicate that he operates under the direct backing of local BNP figure Jahir Babu, better known as “Sylheti Babu”. Despite repeated arrests and public outrage, local BNP leadership has failed to initiate disciplinary proceedings or issue formal show-cause notices against him, triggering intense criticism from party workers and neighborhood residents alike.
Reiterating a firm stance against impunity, the Officer-in-Charge of Khilkhet Police Station, Muhammad Sohrab Al Hossain, stated that extortionists carry no legitimate political identity beyond their criminal record. He emphasised that no individual will be permitted to use party affiliations as a shield for illicit gain in the area, assuring that a thorough, impartial investigation into the new charges is currently underway.
Meanwhile, the Nikunja business community has called for a wider probe into the influential networks enabling Babu’s activities. Local traders argue that recurring bail for serial offenders undermines public security, demanding that any political figures found abetting his criminal syndicate face strict legal accountability regardless of their party standing.
