DB police raid additional DIG’s rented house, detain 84

The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has conducted an anti-narcotics raid at a house rented out by Additional Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abdullah Al Zahir in the capital’s Bashundhara Residential Area, detaining 84 people, including 58 young men and 26 young women.

The raid began on Monday night (19 October) at the two-and-a-half-storey building beside a police outpost in the POHS-1 Housing area of Bhatara and continued until Tuesday afternoon. A large quantity of alcohol, synthetic drugs, shisha and beer was seized from the house.

Shafiqul Islam, additional commissioner (DB) of DMP, said police officer Abdullah Al Zahir had rented out the property. Drug consumption and illegal DJ parties had allegedly been taking place there for a long time, prompting the raid.

Ilias Kabir, deputy commissioner of DMP’s Uttara division, said rooms in the house were rented out through the online platform Airbnb. Young men and women from different parts of the country booked rooms online to attend the parties.

He also said Abdullah Al Zahir received 70% of the income generated by the parties, while his staff took the remaining 30%. Two hosts were responsible for organising the parties at the house. One of them, Mahabul Alam, has been detained.

Abdullah Al Zahir works in the Maintenance and Repair Division of the Police Headquarters. He did not respond to repeated phone calls seeking comment on the raid at the house he had rented out.