Chattogram SP
David Emon was fleeing to India on Guru Sazzad’s orders
Police bring David Emon to a press conference after his arrest. Photo: Agamir Somoy
The police were jolted into action after Youth Dal leader Masudul Haque Chowdhury was shot dead in public in a movie style killing in Chattogram’s Raozan upazila about a month and a half ago. They decided that they would not allow the entire network of top criminal David Emon and his associates to rise again under any circumstances.
After learning of the police’s stance, fugitive Shibir cadre leader Boro Sazzad, who is hiding abroad, instructed members of his group to go into hiding. He also advised David Emon to flee to India.
By then, the police had penetrated all the internal communication channels used by Boro Sazzad’s group. The police began following Emon after he left Chattogram to travel to India. At one point, David Emon and three of his associates were arrested in Jashore.
Chattogram Superintendent of Police Masud Alam disclosed the information at a press conference. David Emon and his three associates, who were arrested in Jashore yesterday, were brought to Chattogram at night.
The SP faced journalists with them on Thursday morning. However, he did not allow any journalist to speak with Emon.
Mobarak Hossain Emon, whose name became David Emon after he entered the criminal underworld, is also known to some as Shoytan Emon. His home is in Kanchannagar Union of Fatikchhari upazila in Chattogram. He lived in the Aturar Depot area under Bayezid Bostami Police Station in the city. He faces 14 cases in the city and district, including seven murder cases.
SP Masud Alam said, “We learned about David Emon’s plan to flee to India on the advice of fugitive gang leader Sazzad, who is hiding abroad. Several teams of police were sent to different possible areas. We tried to arrest him in the Daudkandi area of Cumilla while he was traveling from Chattogram to Dhaka. But he managed to enter Dhaka after changing vehicles. Then we received information that he was heading toward Khulna. We set up a checkpoint at the Padma Bridge toll plaza. Bad luck. We could not arrest him there.”
“After that, he changed his route and reached Narail through Gopalganj. It was 3:30 am then. The Narail SP made an effort. But he managed to leave for Jashore. We provided the Jashore SP with all the information. He had the Detective Branch set up a checkpoint. Emon and three others were arrested at that checkpoint,” he said.
For the past year and a half, David Emon had been playing a game of hide and seek with the police by spreading false information that he was sometimes in Dubai and sometimes in India. However, SP Masud Alam said, “David Emon was in Bangladesh.”
As the situation became difficult, Boro Sazzad finalized a plan to take him to India. People were also arranged to help them cross the border illegally. Emon and his three associates were supposed to enter India through the Jashore border at 6 am We managed to arrest them before that, said the district police’s top official.
SP Masud Alam said a 12 digit Indian Aadhaar card was also found in David Emon’s possession. An Aadhaar card is a special identity document issued by the Indian government to residents of India with a 12 digit identification number. According to the SP, Emon was supposed to use the card after entering India.
However, a district police official said no Aadhaar card was found in David Emon’s possession. During interrogation, Emon said Boro Sazzad had arranged an Aadhaar card for him.
