The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has carried out a series of successful operations, resulting in the arrest of an alleged kingpin of a Cambodia-bound human trafficking network, the dismantling of a major online gambling syndicate, and the apprehension of two suspected muggers in separate raids. The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit arrested Mahafuz Ullah Siddiqui, 40, from Aftabnagar in Banasree on Wednesday evening. Police said he is a named suspect in a human trafficking case filed with Airport Police Station and is believed to be one of the key masterminds behind a network trafficking Bangladeshis to Cambodia.
In a separate operation, the Detective Branch's Cyber and Special Crime (South) Division arrested six members of an organized online gambling syndicate during raids in Gazipur and Cumilla. Police seized 6,600 mobile financial service (MFS) SIM cards, 67 additional SIMs, more than 70 mobile phones, a laptop, and a microbus. Investigators said the group managed payment systems for online gambling platforms through MFS agent accounts and converted illicit proceeds into cryptocurrency before transferring them abroad.
The syndicate allegedly worked for Gopay, a payment company controlled by Chinese nationals, handling transactions exceeding Tk 50 million daily. Meanwhile, CTTC officers also arrested two suspected muggers — Rubel Mia, 30, and Salehin Imtiaz, 29 — while they were allegedly preparing to commit robbery near Shishu Mela in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Wednesday night following intelligence-based surveillance.
Police said legal action has been initiated against all the arrested suspects, while investigations and further operations are ongoing. These operations highlight the DMP's commitment to tackling organized crime and ensuring public safety in Dhaka.
