Three Dhaka Tribune journalists investigating alleged drug trafficking in Gazipur’s Tongi were held captive for nearly three hours, brutally assaulted and threatened with death at gunpoint on Friday, in an attack that has exposed the apparent grip of criminal gangs over an area where another journalist was reportedly abducted and tortured less than two weeks earlier.
The attackers forced the journalists to consume a sedative, staged photographs and videos intended for blackmail, and seized their cameras, phones, money and identification documents before releasing them with a warning never to report on criminal activities in the area again.
The incident occurred at Hazir Mazar slum under Tongi West Police Station, where the journalists had gone to investigate drug trafficking and other crimes.
The victims were Dhaka Tribune reporters Rabiul Hasan and Asiful Islam Rifat, and photojournalist Abir Ahmed Supto.
According to a written complaint filed by Rabiul at Tongi West Police Station on Friday evening, a group of 20 to 25 armed individuals attacked the journalists while they were gathering information in the area.
The assailants allegedly held a pistol to their heads, threatened to mutilate them with sharp weapons and forcibly took them to a nearby location.
There, they were beaten repeatedly and held captive for approximately three hours.
At one stage, the attackers forced them to drink a liquid containing a sedative before placing narcotics and cash in front of them and compelling them to record false confessions.
The journalists believe the recordings were intended to blackmail them and prevent further reporting on drug-related crimes.
‘They planned to kill us’
Describing the ordeal, Rabiul said the team had spent around an hour and a half collecting evidence of drug trafficking before being confronted.
“My phone contained clear photos and videos, including distinct images of drug dealers and footage of their various distribution hubs,” he said.
He alleged that the attackers had monitored their movements through CCTV cameras and demanded access to his phone.
“When I refused, they assaulted me, seized the phone at gunpoint and deleted everything.”
Rabiul said the attackers repeatedly struck the journalists with a firearm and threatened to shoot them.
“Upon discovering the data we had collected for our report, they held us captive until evening, planning to kill us. They repeatedly struck us with a revolver and even attempted to open fire,” he said.
He claimed that around 200 people were openly buying and selling narcotics in the vicinity while the journalists were being held.
The location, he said, was approximately 20 metres from a mosque and 50 metres from a ferry crossing.
“Yet, throughout this long period, no member of any law enforcement agency arrived at the scene,” he said.
The journalists were eventually released after an unidentified individual contacted them through a video call and demanded that they stop reporting on drug trafficking and criminal activities in the area.
Fearing for their lives, they agreed.
The attackers allegedly issued further death threats before allowing them to leave.
The injured journalists received initial treatment at Shaheed Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital in Tongi before being referred for advanced medical care.
Another journalist tortured in same area
The attack follows a similar incident involving Mohin Uddin Ripon, Gazipur district correspondent for the daily Kalbela, who was abducted at gunpoint in the same area on October 26.
According to allegations surrounding that incident, Ripon was beaten, tortured and held for a ransom of Tk1 crore.
His abductors stripped him and recorded compromising footage involving a woman, apparently as a means of intimidation and blackmail.
During Friday’s attack, the Dhaka Tribune journalists said their captors showed them photographs and videos of Ripon’s ordeal.
The apparent repetition of the same tactics has raised serious concerns among local journalists about the risks of reporting on organised crime in Tongi.
The recent recovery of a retired Air Force officer’s body from the Turag River, followed by the discovery of his motorcycle in the Mazar Basti area, has further heightened concerns about criminal activity in the locality.
No connection between that death and the attacks on journalists has been established.
‘Even police are afraid to go there’
A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged the difficulties law enforcement personnel face in operating in the area.
“Even we, the police, are afraid to go there. It’s as if it’s a separate state within Bangladesh,” the official said.
“Even when we go in a group, we are unable to accomplish anything. I once went there with a colleague to gather intelligence and barely managed to make it back out.”
The official described the situation as extremely dangerous and suggested journalists should avoid entering the slum to investigate criminal activities.
Police promise crackdown
Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Israil Howlader, whose final day in the position was Saturday, told Dhaka Tribune that action would be taken against those responsible for the attack.
He said operations would soon be launched in and around Tongi Mazar Basti to identify and arrest suspected drug dealers and criminals.
The newly appointed GMP commissioner Md Ashiq Sayeed said he had only recently assumed office and was still gathering details about the incident.
“I have just taken charge and learned about the incident. We will investigate the matter and take appropriate action,” he said.
Tongi West Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Arifur Rahman confirmed that an officer had been assigned to investigate the written complaint.
He said legal action would follow the preliminary investigation. “Six drug users and two drug dealers had been arrested from the area over the past two days," he added.
According to the OC, drug dealers shifted their operations following an earlier eviction drive at Mazar Basti, establishing mobile distribution networks around the Turag River and Ijtema grounds.
He said suspects frequently escaped towards areas under Dhaka Metropolitan Police jurisdiction or dispersed through the Ijtema grounds when police attempted raids.
Discussions had already taken place with senior officials about conducting larger operations, he added.