Is it isolated incident or planned killing to protect a criminal syndicate?

Chandna Chowrasta — the edge where Gazipur’s light fades into shadow. On the evening of August 7, 2025, journalist Asaduzzaman Tuhin was brutally hacked and his throat slit in broad daylight here. Police claim that a “video” stored on his phone, capturing criminal activities, cost him his life. But an on-the-ground investigation reveals a lingering question on everyone’s lips in Gazipur: was Tuhin’s killing an isolated act of violence, or a planned execution to shield a bigger criminal network?

At first, it was assumed that he was killed for filming an extortion incident. However, police now say it was footage of a different crime stored on his phone that enraged the perpetrators, leading to his murder. Filming crimes on mobile phones has become increasingly common, with major incidents often spreading across social media. But does filming alone lead criminals to kill? If such killings hadn’t happened before, why did they murder Tuhin that day? A Views Bangladesh investigation uncovered answers to this question.

Speaking to local journalists and eyewitnesses, it emerged that “honey trap” scams — luring men into compromising situations to extort money — are not new in Gazipur, but have sharply increased in recent months. Tuhin, it appears, had learned of one such incident and was filming it on his phone. To cover up the entire criminal chain, he was killed.

According to police, around 7:00 pm near Chandna Chowrasta, a worker named Badsha Mia was withdrawing cash from an ATM booth when an attempt was made to lure him into a honey trap. Soon, several men armed with local weapons attacked Badsha. Tuhin began filming the scene on his phone, prompting the attackers to abandon Badsha and turn on Tuhin, threatening him to delete the footage. When he refused and fled into a tea shop for safety, the assailants stormed inside and hacked him to death.

Within 24 hours, police arrested eight people after reviewing CCTV footage. Of them, only one — Md. Mizan alias “Ketu Mizan” (35) — had prior criminal records. Police say Mizan has been implicated in more than 15 cases. Locals describe him as the “mastermind” — a cold-blooded gangster with ties to local politics, allegedly operating a “mugging gang” under the protection of influential politicians. The other seven arrested had no prior criminal records in police files.

A police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that when no prior record exists, it usually means the suspects are either new to crime or have been protected by powerful patrons. Judging by their ages, police believe the suspects were recruited into Mizan’s gang only recently.

Several local business owners said Mizan has been recruiting unemployed young men, mostly former garment factory workers, into his mugging crew. With the help of an arrested woman named Parul Akhter, Mizan also formed a “honey trap” gang using jobless women from garment factories.

Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dr. Nazmul Karim Khan admitted that indefinite factory closures and shrinking employment opportunities have been major drivers of rising crime in the area.

Administrative sources in Gazipur say that since August 5 last year, nearly 200 people have been murdered in the city. Commissioner Khan cited factory shutdowns, unemployment, police understaffing, and the active presence of criminal networks as key factors. He acknowledged that the police had failed to conduct preventive work “efficiently.” The result has been growing public fear, insecurity, and frustration.

Residents said dead bodies are now found almost daily in markets, under bridges, or on roadside ditches. Standing at Chandna Chowrasta, shopkeepers, rickshaw pullers, and locals speak in hushed voices, afraid to be overheard.

Local resident Kabir Hossain told Views Bangladesh that
“Because Tuhin was a journalist, the whole country is now speaking out about his murder. But if it were just a regular garment worker, would the police have acted this fast? Once, Gazipur was a sleepless industrial city, alive day and night. Now, when darkness falls, fear takes over. Factories have shut down, but life hasn’t stopped. Frustrated jobless youths are falling into drug addiction and crime.”

Karim Mia, who runs a tea stall at the Chowrasta, echoed the sentiment “I’ve had this shop for eight years. In the past year, I’ve heard of more murders than ever before. Most unemployed garment workers are now involved in local criminal activities.”

Since the government changed on August 5 last year, at least 17 medium and large garment factories in Gazipur have closed — notably in Sreepur, Kaliakoir, and Kashimpur.

According to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), these closures directly put around 8,000 workers out of jobs, with thousands more affected indirectly.

Local labour leaders say many of the unemployed, unable to find new work or alternative income, have turned to petty crime, theft, mugging, and drug trafficking.

Police statistics confirm that since late 2024, Gazipur’s crime rate has risen by nearly 37%. Some arrested suspects in recent crimes are directly from among the unemployed garment workers, including former security guards and loaders. After losing their jobs, they became involved with local criminal gangs, where drug dealing and extortion became major sources of income.

Human rights activists say that Gazipur’s recent murder statistics are more than just numbers — they are a warning sign of a deeper socio-economic crisis. The convergence of shrinking job opportunities, the rise of organized crime networks, and the lack of accountable policing has turned the city into a place gripped by fear.