Culture & Society

Dhaka police arrest six in motorcycle theft gang after viral CCTV

The Detective Branch says the gang used two specially made iron keys to break motorcycle locks in seconds, and that the theft footage spread on social media before the arrests.

ScrollBeat DeskPublished: 18 Oct 2026, 18:35

CCTV footage released by Dhaka Metropolitan Police shows a motorcycle being stolen in Mohammadpur, Dhaka, on 2 October 2026; a red circle marks the thief. Police cited the viral footage when announcing the arrest of six gang members and the recovery of nine motorcycles on 18 October 2026. Image: Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Dhaka Metropolitan Police

Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Detective Branch has arrested six members of a motorcycle theft gang and recovered nine stolen motorcycles, the force said in a release published on 18 October 2026.

According to the release, the case began with a theft on the afternoon of 2 October in the capital's Mohammadpur. A rider locked his motorcycle in front of the Baitur Rahman Mosque on Salimullah Road and went inside for Asr prayers. The gang used two specially made iron keys to break the lock within seconds and rode the motorcycle away.

The CCTV footage of the theft spread widely on social media, which brought it to the notice of the Detective Branch. The branch's Lalbagh division reviewed the footage and used information technology to identify the suspects, the release said.

The six arrested were identified as Rashedul Islam, also known as Rafiq or Rasel, 30; Md Amir Faisal, also known as Rabbi, 30; Faisal, 25; Sourav, 22; Jahangir Alam Pappu, 29; and Mozammel Haque Masum, 22.

In raids at Nandipara and Madartek under Sabujbagh police station, officers detained Rasel with the two special keys and one stolen motorcycle. Acting on his information, they arrested Amir Faisal with a stolen motorcycle in front of Saddam Market under Jatrabari police station. Raids in Laksham, Cumilla, led to the recovery of four more motorcycles and the arrest of Faisal and Sourav, while three motorcycles were recovered and Pappu and Masum were arrested in Chatkhil, Noakhali. An auto-rickshaw used in the theft was also seized.

The release said Rasel faces 15 cases over motorcycle theft and Amir Faisal seven, and that there are pending warrants against them. Police said legal proceedings against the six were under way.

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BNP to interview aspirants on 19 October for vacant women's seat

The party will hear women who bought nomination papers for the by-election to a vacant women's seat on 19 October at its Gulshan chairman's office. The Election Commission has set voting for 12 November.

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A file photo used by Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha for coverage of the BNP's nomination process for a vacant women's reserved seat in the Jatiya Sangsad. Photo: BSS BSS

The BNP will interview women seeking its nomination for the by-election to a vacant women's reserved seat in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad on 19 October, the party said in a press release signed by assistant office secretary Munir Hossain.

The interviews will be held at 7:00pm at the party chairman's political office in Gulshan, and will be attended by women who bought and submitted nomination papers, the release said.

The by-election is for a seat reserved for women that fell vacant after Ferdousi Ahmed Mishti resigned as an MP on 1 October. She had been accused of involvement in an attack, looting and vandalism at the Radda MCH-FP Centre in Dhaka's Mirpur, and resigned on the instructions of BNP chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

Under the Election Commission schedule announced on 12 October and signed by EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, nomination papers must be submitted to the returning officer at the Nirbachan Bhaban by 26 October. Scrutiny will be held on 27 October, the last date for withdrawal of candidacies is 1 November, and voting will take place on 12 November.

Only the BNP can nominate a candidate for the vacant seat, because reserved seats are allocated in proportion to the directly elected MPs a party has. If more than one candidate is nominated, only MPs of the BNP alliance are eligible to vote. In practice, reserved seats are usually filled by a single candidate, so a vote is often unnecessary.

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Coast Guard seizes 8.3m metres of nets in hilsa ban crackdown

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Bangladesh Coast Guard personnel patrol rivers and coastal waters to enforce the 22-day ban on hilsa fishing that runs from 8 to 29 October 2026. Photo: BSS BSS

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The ban began on 8 October and lasts until 29 October. It bars catching, transporting, storing, marketing, buying and selling hilsa anywhere in the country.

Officials said conservation operations have been intensified in 54 upazilas across 16 districts, with stations and outposts under the Coast Guard's four zones running regular patrols. Chandpur, Shariatpur, Madaripur, Munshiganj, Barishal, Patuakhali, Bhola, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Bagerhat, the Chattogram outer anchorage and parts of Lakshmipur are among the areas getting particular attention.

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Under a government programme, rice is being given to 646,290 fishing families in 168 upazilas across 38 districts, with each family receiving 25 kilogrammes for the duration of the ban.

Fisherman Burhan Uddin of Char Fasson in Bhola told the state news agency BSS that the restriction would help hilsa breed and grow, and welcomed the food aid for families losing income. Professor Mohammad Mamun Chowdhury, chairman of Dhaka University's fisheries department, called the ban effective but said it should run for a month rather than 22 days, because egg-bearing hilsa are still netted soon after it ends.

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Coast Guard media officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujon said surveillance and drives had been strengthened to ensure safe spawning, and urged the public to report violations on the emergency number 16111.