Nayan Hossain, the convener of the Adabor Thana branch of Chhatra Dal, has been apprehended by the Detective Branch (DB) of the police over allegations of extortion originating from the Karwan Bazar wholesale fish market. The arrest has drawn significant public attention, shedding light on the broader pattern of alleged criminal activities associated with the local political leader. While the initial arrest was tied to Karwan Bazar, a subsequent ground-level investigation in Adabor revealed a series of alarming complaints from local residents regarding widespread extortion, land grabbing, and intimidation.
According to local accounts, Nayan and his loyalist followers had allegedly established a reign of terror in the Adabor residential areas over a prolonged period. Residents reported feeling utterly exhausted and terrorized by the continuous demands for protection money and unauthorized levies, which left little room for peaceful daily living. The impunity with which these actions were reportedly carried out created a climate of fear, deterring ordinary citizens from speaking out against the perpetrators.
The situation escalated recently during ongoing road and infrastructure renovation projects managed by the Dhaka North City Corporation in the Mansurabad Housing area of Adabor. Investigators and locals noted that Nayan’s associates forcefully intervened in the civil works, compelling building owners to utilize their designated laborers for internal water and sewerage connection repairs. Upon completion of these mandatory works, exorbitant and arbitrary fees ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 Taka were extorted from each household under threat of harassment.
During an on-site visit to Road No. 6 of Mansurabad Housing, where municipal digging and pipeline installations were underway, affected homeowners detailed how they were cornered into accepting unwanted services. For instance, owners of buildings numbered 69 and 70 were arbitrarily billed 55,000 Taka for mandatory drainage linkage operations and faced severe intimidation when they questioned the legitimacy of the amounts demanded. Beyond utility-based extortion, accusations have piled up concerning regular shakedowns targeting under-construction buildings, roadside footpath vendors, and local embroidery manufacturing units.
Law enforcement agencies have indicated that the scope of the investigation is widening to uncover the entire network supporting these illicit operations in Adabor and surrounding commercial hubs. As the legal proceedings unfold, community leaders and residents have voiced a strong demand for sustained administrative oversight to curb political patronage of criminal syndicates and restore public safety across metropolitan neighborhoods.
