Staff Reporter:
A suspected professional criminal and alleged armed shooter, known as “Shooter Zakir”, has been arrested with a foreign-made pistol, a revolver and four rounds of ammunition in the capital’s Mirpur.
The Detective Branch (Mirpur Division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested Mohammad Jamil Hossain, alias Shooter Zakir, alias Mohammad Zakir, 48, during a raid in Mirpur at around 11:20pm on Wednesday.
According to the DMP, police recovered a foreign-made pistol with two rounds of ammunition loaded in its magazine, a black foreign-made revolver containing two rounds and an empty magazine from his possession.
Preliminary investigation suggests that Zakir is a professional criminal and armed shooter who had allegedly been using intimidation to establish dominance in different parts of Mirpur for a long time.
Police said that during the previous Awami League government, Zakir allegedly worked in Mirpur as an associate of top criminal Tanvir Islam Joy.
After Joy was killed, Zakir allegedly continued his criminal activities as an associate of another member of the criminal network, identified by police as Tajkir.
Police said Zakir was also allegedly involved in an incident in which Mohammad Saiful Islam Siju, 38, joint convener of the Mirpur thana unit of Jubo Dal, was shot at in an alleged attempt to kill him.
The incident took place at around 9pm on 7 July in the Senpara Parbata area under Mirpur Model Police Station over alleged disputes concerning dominance and the distribution of shares within the criminal network.
Although Zakir managed to flee the scene, his alleged associate and fellow shooter Mohammad Kawsar Bhuiyan, alias Shanto, 24, was arrested by Mirpur Model Police with firearms and ammunition.
Two separate cases were filed with Mirpur Model Police Station over the July 7 incident — one over the alleged attempt to kill and cause grievous injury, and another under the Arms Act.
