Crackdown in Dhaka: 13 Arrested Over Violent Adabor Building Attack and Land Grab Attempt

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Law enforcement agencies have arrested 13 suspects in connection with two separate, violent land-grabbing incidents in the capital, including an armed assault on a multi-storey building in Adabor and the mob takeover of a plot in Mohammadpur’s Chand Udyan.

The arrests follow a series of brazen attacks over the weekend that has raised widespread concerns regarding land-grabbing syndicates operating in the capital.

Five of the suspects were taken into custody following an early-morning attack on an eight-storey residential building in Shyamoli Housing, located under the Adabor Police Station jurisdiction.

According to police and local residents, a group of 15 to 20 masked men—some armed with machetes, cleavers, and firearms—arrived at the property around 6:30 AM. The group demanded that the occupants vacate the premises and tried to force their way through the main entrance. When residents refused to open the gate, the attackers struck the entrance with heavy blades, smashed ground-floor windows, and threw bricks at the building before fleeing.

Investigators revealed that the same group had illegally occupied the building for nearly 18 months before police evicted them and restored possession to the rightful owner earlier in the year. Following Saturday’s attack, the building owner filed a formal complaint naming multiple key suspects and several unidentified assailants.

In a separate incident in Mohammadpur, police arrested eight individuals involved in a violent land grab in the Chand Udyan Housing area.

Authorities reported that a crowd of roughly 150 to 200 people descended upon a disputed plot near the embankment on Saturday morning. The group broke through existing boundary fences, vandalized an on-site office, looted equipment, and erected new corrugated tin sheets in an attempt to forcibly claim ownership.

CCTV footage capturing the break-in circulated widely on social media, aiding law enforcement in identifying key perpetrators. Following a case filed under multiple sections of the Penal Code at Mohammadpur Police Station, officers launched sweep operations across the area to arrest the suspects.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) officials stated that operations are ongoing to trace remaining accomplices and urged disputing land claimants to seek resolution through court rulings rather than resorting to violence.