Haji Mazar slum on the banks of the Turag River in Tongi, Gazipur, has long been known as one of the area’s largest drug markets. The settlement has come under renewed scrutiny following the death of former flight lieutenant KM Tahsif Sauri, 28.
Spread across around five acres and home to nearly 30,000 people, the slum is widely known not only as a residential area but also as a major hub for drug sales and consumption.
Local sources allege that several leaders of the BNP and its affiliated organisations control the settlement, while police are accused of collecting nearly Tk1 crore in extortion money from drug traders every day.
A police source said drug trading had continued despite eviction drives by the Public Works Department and recent police raids. The settlement remains a major drug distribution centre, supplying different parts of Gazipur, with sales taking place throughout the day and night.
Drug traders reportedly monitor the area through nearly 500 CCTV cameras and store drugs and firearms in underground tunnels. Their strong network and security arrangements make it difficult for outsiders to enter freely. Police operations also require large teams and special preparations, while entering the area at night without a coordinated operation is considered risky.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (North Crime) SM Shafiqul Islam told Dhaka Tribune on Thursday that drug trading in the settlement had been going on for around 60 years.
Describing it as a difficult and risky area, he said law enforcement agencies had conducted several operations to make it drug-free. Police patrol vehicles and a dedicated team remain active there, he added.
Shafiqul said a recent drive had dismantled the main drug-trading spot, forcing traders to retreat and preventing them from operating as openly as before.
Residents describe fear and insecurity
Several residents said drug traders had stationed their own people at the settlement’s entrances and used walkie-talkies and CCTV cameras to monitor movement. Strangers attempting to enter were often stopped, they alleged. Drug sales continued during the day, while a larger market operated at night.
Rickshaw puller Md Akram said he often could not sleep peacefully because of drug trading and disputes over money. Arguments sometimes escalated into fights and gunshots, waking children and frightening residents.
Local resident Ishtiaq Mahmud, a private bank employee, alleged that drugs were sold openly both during the day and at night inside the slum and along nearby roads. He claimed police and local criminals controlled the trade and that some officers maintained ties with criminal groups out of fear.
Tania, a domestic worker raising three children in the settlement after her husband’s death, said she continued to live there because she could not afford alternative accommodation. She alleged that local police and political leaders knew about the trade and received a share of the proceeds.
Former BNP leaders, criminals accused of control
Residents alleged that former Tongi thana BNP founding president Rashedul Islam Kiran and top criminal Robiul Islam Babu alias King Babu controlled the drug trade in the settlement.
They also named Shahabuddin Dabaru, Siddikur Rahman Dubli of the Mazarpara unit BNP in Gazipur City Corporation’s Ward 57, Arafat alias Yaba Arafat, Ward 57 BNP organising secretary Alkas Mia and Mazarpara unit BNP leader Nazrul Islam, among others.
Locals claimed that BNP leaders had around 510 associates operating in the settlement, some of whom possessed illegal firearms.
RAJUK eviction drive
On August 31, an eviction drive led by a RAJUK executive magistrate was conducted near the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments in Tongi Bazar, demolishing around 50 structures.
RAJUK Deputy Director Liton Sarker said the authority owned around three bighas of land in the Haji Mazar slum area, which had long been occupied by drug users and traders. He said the illegal occupants had been evicted and the land reclaimed, adding that monitoring would continue to prevent renewed encroachment or the return of drug-trading spots.
Questions remain over Tahsif’s death
The cause of death of former air force officer KM Tahsif Sauri, whose body was recovered from the Turag River, remains undetermined.
His father has rejected the possibility that his son died by suicide, saying a government investigation could identify those responsible.
Tahsif entered the Haji Mazar settlement on the night of October 27 with his friend Ahmed Shahriar Reza Dip. What happened afterwards near the river remains unclear.
Sources involved in the investigation said Dip told investigators that Tahsif jumped into the river after several people chased them. However, investigators have yet to establish who chased them or why the two went to the area.
On November 4, a court placed Tahsif’s girlfriend, Jerika Tasnim Disha, on a further three-day remand in a murder case filed over his death.
According to a police forwarding report submitted to the court, Disha told investigators that she had visited Nest Bar and Restaurant in Uttara with Tahsif before the incident on October 27. She also said she visited CP Five Star Snacks several times that evening and went with Tahsif to a motorcycle garage before travelling to different places on his motorcycle.
The report said Disha had provided several important details about the incident, which investigators were keeping confidential and verifying as part of the investigation.