FIR Filed Over Armed Attacks, Extortion at Kaptan Bazar Poultry Market
Serious allegations of violence, extortion, armed attacks and death threats have been brought against an organised criminal group over attempts to obstruct Dhaka Pacific Ltd., the newly appointed leaseholder of the night-time wholesale poultry market at Kaptan Bazar under Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
In this connection, the company’s Managing Director, Md Shakhawat Hossain, filed a First Information Report (FIR) with Wari Police Station on 13 December 2025, which has been registered as Case No. 1472. The FIR details a series of incidents that allegedly took place after the company received its lease work order.
According to the FIR, Dhaka Pacific Ltd. received the official lease order effective from 19 November 2025. When company representatives went to formally take possession of the market on 23 November at around 11:00pm, in the presence of a DSCC executive magistrate, they found the market illegally locked and occupied by 70–80 armed individuals. The group reportedly blocked entry and openly threatened to kill the leaseholders if they attempted to enter. A similar obstruction occurred again on the night of 24 November, preventing any lease revenue collection.
The FIR further states that on the night of 6 December, while lease payments were being collected from the western section near the City Corporation attendance office, 20–30 armed men allegedly led by Emdad Hossain Patwari launched a planned attack. During the assault, employee Mizanur Rahman Billal was severely beaten, a pistol was held to his head, and Tk 1,20,000 was forcibly taken. Another staff member was also robbed of a gold chain, wristwatch and wallet.
The most violent incident allegedly took place at around 3:00am on 11 December during lease revenue collection. According to the FIR, one employee was held at gunpoint and struck on the head with a machete, while others were brutally beaten with iron rods, hockey sticks and GI pipes. Another employee sustained serious machete injuries to the head and neck, and a gunshot reportedly passed narrowly by another staff member. Five people were seriously injured, two of whom are currently in critical condition at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. During the attack, the assailants allegedly looted more than Tk 1.70 lakh in lease revenue along with gold ornaments.
The FIR also alleges that from 26 November to 10 December, the criminal group illegally occupied more than 200 of the market’s 300 shops, severely disrupting lease revenue collection. The group allegedly demanded Tk 5 lakh per day in extortion and threatened to kill the leaseholders if they entered the market without paying.
In the FIR, the complainant sought immediate legal action against those involved, eviction of illegal occupiers, and the deployment of permanent security measures at Kaptan Bazar. Police sources confirmed that Wari Police Station has accepted the FIR and initiated an investigation into the matter.
