Abul Kashem, from the Korail slums in Dhaka, started out as a day labourer. He lived in a thatched roof house in Comilla Potti, a neighbourhood of the slum area.
A few years ago, Kashem became a part-time marijuana peddler in a bid to make more money. He gradually turned to a life of crime and amassed a huge fortune in ill-gotten wealth.
He is aptly nicknamed “Baba Kashem,” Baba being the local slang for yaba tablets.
Kashem and his gang controls the illegal yaba trade in the Korail slum area of Dhaka. He was detained by law enforcement on May this year, but his associates continue to run the illicit trade of banned narcotics.
At the outset of his criminal life, Kashem became a member of the Seven Star Gang, led by criminal kingpin Giasuddin, of Comilla Potti. The gang was involved in all sorts of criminal activities in the neighbourhood.
Kashem was tasked with controlling the illegal drug trade on behalf of his gang. In later years, Kashem gradually took control of the drug business of the entire slum and other adjacent areas.
There are allegations that the gang has ties with the local Banani police, which reportedly gives them impunity from the law. However, the police firmly denied the allegation.
Power fueled by drugs
Residents of Comilla Potti provided some insight into the life of Kashem, a former resident of the area.
Munshi (not real name), one of his neighbours, told this correspondent: “After Kashem started peddling yaba tablets, it transformed his life. He gradually formed a gang to peddle the illegal narcotic substance in the slum and also other parts of the city.
“Nowadays, Kashem rarely visits the slum, but sometimes he is in the area at night to personally supervise yaba trading. I have heard rumours that he owns several apartments in Gulshan, Tejgaon, and Banani, and has lots of money in his bank account.”
Another resident of Korail, Rubel (not real name) echoed the same tale, adding that nobody knows much about Kashem’s concealed wealth.
“No one dares to talk about the drug kingpin of Korail to law enforcement in fear of retribution,” he added.
The street-level drug peddlers of Korail continue to sell drugs under the open sky in Korail despite a recent police raid in the area.
Speaking with this correspondent, some peddlers commented that Kashem makes Tk70 lakh per month, just selling yaba.
Three dealers seeking anonymity said: “Any outsider will not be able to comprehend how rich Kashem really is just by behaviour or clothes. No one knows how much money he really has.”
A drug syndicate
Under Kashem’s syndicate, Harun Mia and his brother-in-laws, Guddu and Sojib, control the supply and distribution of illegal drugs in the Boubazar area of Korail, Ibrahim and Saidul control the Jhilpar area, while Jashim and his sister Pervin control the Kaw-block.
Apart from these people, other peddlers in the slum also deal with Kashem, as he has complete control of the yaba trade in the area. Consignments of this banned drug are being supplied to the Korail slum from Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, and Barisal.
A total of 16 cases have been lodged against Kashem with Banani police station to date.
Terming Kashem the biggest wholesaler of yaba in the Korail slum, Banani police station Sub-Inspector (SI) Abu Taher, who is also the in-charge of the Korail beat, told the Dhaka Tribune: “We detained the notorious drug kingpin last month.
“Kashem has been arrested several times before. However, he always manages to get bail and immediately resumes his illegal trade of yaba.”
Terming Kashem a clever person, the police officer added: “He does not remain in the slum area most of the time. His home is near Banani Lake. When he hears about any possible law enforcement drive, he quickly crosses the lake and goes into hiding.
“He is behind bars now, but his associates are still in business in the slum and adjacent areas.”
An iron grip
According to an intelligence report, Kashem was previously detained on April 15 this year. SI Taher released him upon payment of Tk10,000. However, the SI firmly denied this allegation.
Slum dwellers told this correspondent that Kashem had been released by the police prior to his eventual capture during the ongoing anti-narcotics drive in Bangladesh.
Several members of Korail Madok Protirodh Committee, seeking anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune that some notorious drug dealers, such as Kashem and his associates, have the Korail slum in their grip, due to the negligence of local police.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police, along with its Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crimes unit and the Detective Branch, conducted a special drive at Korail slum on this May 26 and nabbed 30 alleged drug peddlers in possession of a noteworthy quantity of contraband narcotics.
A number of local residents claimed that police warned some of the drug kingpins in the area before the drive began, allowing these culprits to evade the law. However, the local police station denied this allegation as well.
Korail, the largest slum in Dhaka located on a 150-acre land belonging to state-run Bangladesh Telecommunication Company Limited, is home to several thousand poor people since 1956.
