2 women granted bail after being held at addl DIG’s flat

A Dhaka court on Tuesday granted bail to a woman detained alongside 84 others from the residence of Additional Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abdullah Al Zahir in the capital’s Bhatara, after the defence counsel challenged the legality of their conviction without mandatory dope testing and questioned the seizure list.

Metropolitan Sessions Judge Shahjahan Kabir passed the order on Tuesday, Supreme Court advocate Nahida Khanam confirmed, stating the summary sentencing violated the defendants' legal rights.

Kashimpur Female Central Jail Super Nazrul Islam said the paperwork was received on Wednesday morning, with release procedures expected to conclude by afternoon. Another convicted woman walked out of prison on Tuesday following a bail grant, jail sources confirmed.

Meanwhile, the court scheduled a bail hearing for two male convicts for 9 November 2026.

Late on 20 October 2026, the Detective Branch (DB) Uttara Division raided the senior police officer’s flat, falling under DB Gulshan's territorial jurisdiction, and detained 85 individuals.

Police claimed to have seized one piece of yaba, a bottle of Indian whisky, liquor bottles, an empty Carew & Co bottle, and kush. However, law enforcement officials offered no clear rationale as to how possession of such quantities established drug consumption by all 85 detainees.

The detainees were subsequently tried by an executive magistrate, reportedly on charges of disrupting public peace rather than narcotics consumption.

The male convicts were sentenced to one month’s imprisonment alongside a Tk1,000 fine, whilst female convicts received 15 days’ jail time with a Tk500 fine.

Read More

84 detained at Addl DIG’s rental house

Executive Magistrate Asaduzzaman claimed to media outlets that sentences were handed down following confessions by the accused.

Relatives of the bailed woman stated she was a professional fire spinner who had been invited purely as a hired performer for the gathering.

Critiquing the drive, Supreme Court lawyer Manzil Murshid noted significant discrepancies between police claims and procedural reality, calling for an independent inquiry into the operation's legality.

Furthermore, 101 eminent citizens issued a joint statement demanding the immediate release of all detainees, a fair probe, and an end to arbitrary intrusions into personal privacy and dignity.

Responding to public criticism, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Ali Hossain Fakir defended the raid on Monday, stating that operations do not violate the constitution and asserting that personal liberty cannot supersede legal, moral, and social norms.