Three Aides to Fugitive Kingpin Sajjad Arrested

The Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) has dealt a significant blow to the notorious “Boro Sajjad” crime syndicate following a series of high-stakes raids across the port city. On Tuesday, law enforcement officials apprehended three high-ranking associates of the overseas-based fugitive Sajjad Ali, recovering an arsenal that includes a sub-machine gun (SMG), a semi-automatic pistol, and a revolver.

The Arsenal of Terror

During a press briefing held at 10:30 pm on Tuesday, Additional Commissioner of Police Wahidul Haque Chowdhury revealed that the seized weaponry was directly linked to a violent extortion attempt. On 28 February, gunmen opened fire on the residence of Mustafizur Rahman Chowdhury, Chairman of the Smart Group, in the Chandanpura area, after he refused to pay a protection levy of 10 million BDT.

Initial interrogations suggest that the recovered firearms were the exact instruments used in the shooting. Crucially, the police confirmed that two of the weapons—a pistol and a revolver—were part of the cache looted from the Double Mooring and Pahartali police stations during the civil unrest on 5 August 2024. The sub-machine gun, however, was allegedly procured from an insurgent group operating in the Khagrachari hill tracts.

Table: Profile of Arrested Individuals and Recovered Assets

A Syndicate Exposed

The breakthrough began with the arrest of Abdul Kaiyum Chowdhury, alias Emon, a long-term fugitive who had been sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in the sensational Bahaddarhat eight-murder case of 2000. Under interrogation, Emon provided the intelligence necessary to track down his accomplices, Monir and Sayem, in the Panchlaish and Bayezid Bostami areas.

Beyond the hardware, investigators recovered chilling digital evidence from Emon’s possession: a video clip depicting an initiation ceremony where new recruits were seen swearing oaths of allegiance to the Sajjad Group.

Operational Control from Abroad

Police officials emphasized that despite Sajjad Ali’s physical absence from the country, he continues to orchestrate a wide range of criminal activities via his local proxies. These include targeted assassinations, daring dacoities, and the armed enforcement of illegal sand-mining territories (Balumahal).

The CMP has stated that the recovered firearms will undergo ballistic testing to definitively match them to recent crime scenes. This operation marks a pivotal step in reclaiming state-issued weapons lost during last year’s political transition and disrupting the financial networks of extortionists targeting the city’s business elite.