Fresh clashes have erupted again in Geneva Camp, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, over dominance in the narcotics trade—this time sparked by a newly established heroin distribution point.
On Monday, 22-year-old Shah Alam was hacked to death in the dispute. In response, police, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the army launched joint operations, arresting 16 people and seizing large quantities of drugs, crude weapons and helmets used during the clashes.
Geneva Camp, which has been housing stranded Pakistanis or Biharis in common parlance since Bangladesh’s liberation in 1971, has long been a hub for illegal trade in cannabis, heroin and yaba, with turf wars between rival factions leading to regular violence. Residents say Bhuiya Sohel, also known as Bunia Sohel, held undisputed sway for 16 years. But after the political change on 5 August last year, the BNP-backed group led by Selim Ashrafi, alias Chua Selim, moved to assert its dominance.
Between August and October 2024, the feud escalated into crude bomb blasts, armed attacks and shootouts, killing of at least seven people, including children. Over 100 drug traffickers, including both leaders, were arrested in joint raids, but the trade resumed after their release on bail two months ago.
A source involved in the drug trade said Bunia Sohel ran two heroin spots in the camp’s northeast corner. Members of the Chua Selim group—identified as “Gal Kata Monu,” Imtiaz and Shah Alam—set up a new heroin point in “Moylar Goli” on Babar Road, infuriating Sohel’s faction, which began losing long-time customers.
On Friday morning, Sohel personally went to the new spot to halt sales, triggering the first confrontation. A crude bomb exploded that day, and clashes continued over the weekend, culminating in Shah Alam’s killing on Monday afternoon.
Joint raids were launched that evening, and the following day the army and the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) seized drugs and locally made weapons at Humayun Road and in the nearby alleys. No arrests were made in that operation.
Within minutes of the forces leaving, however, open sales of cannabis, yaba and heroin resumed. During a visit to the area by this correspondent on Tuesday, children as young as 12 or 13 were seen offering cannabis packets to customers and haggling over prices. Drug markets also reappeared in alleys off Masjid Goli on Babar Road, near the “Boba Biryani” shop, and around Humayun Road.
Md Mehedi Hasan, assistant director of DNC (Dhaka Metro North), said suspects detained in the joint operation were under verification, and details would be disclosed once cases were filed.
Ali Iftekhar Hasan, officer-in-charge of Mohammadpur police station, said two suspects—Faisal, 25, and Selim, 24—were arrested over Shah Alam’s killing, with two machetes recovered from them. The other 14 were arrested in follow-up raids.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Mohammadpur Zone Jewel Rana said: “Clashes over narcotics in this camp are nothing new. We are conducting regular raids, with additional police deployed and two mobile teams in operation.”
Local residents fear the violence will continue as long as the drug trade persists. While raids cause temporary disruption, entrenched networks allow operations to resume within hours of the law enforcers leaving the place.
