Staff Correspondent 
Additional Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abdullah Al Zahir of the Police Headquarters has been removed from his current post and attached to the Headquarters Branch following a police raid at a flat he had rented out in Dhaka’s Bhatara area, where drugs were seized and 84 people were detained.
The Police Headquarters confirmed the decision in an office order issued on Tuesday (October 20). The order, signed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Ali Hossain Fakir, stated that Abdullah Al Zahir would remain attached to the Headquarters Branch until further instructions. The order took immediate effect.
Earlier, a team from the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police conducted a raid late Monday night at a flat in Police Housing-1, a residential area under Bhatara Police Station.
The operation was carried out based on intelligence reports that the flat was being used for overnight DJ parties, drug consumption and alleged drug-related activities.
During the raid, police detained 84 people, including 26 women and 58 men. One Afghan national was among those detained. The DB said it seized cannabis, yaba tablets, alcohol and various items, including equipment used for consuming yaba.
Additional Commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch, Shafiqul Islam, said Abdullah Al Zahir had rented out the flat through Airbnb. Illegal drug consumption and DJ parties were allegedly taking place there, and legal action was being taken in connection with the incident.
According to Ilyas Kabir, Deputy Commissioner of the DB’s Uttara Division, the flat was managed by a host and a co-host. Co-host Mahbubul Alam was detained in connection with the case.
Kabir also said that although the flat was rented out through Airbnb, Abdullah Al Zahir received 70 per cent of the income generated from the rental arrangement.
Meanwhile, a DB source alleged that the officer had attempted to use his influence to secure the release of the detained co-host. However, Abdullah Al Zahir’s comments on the allegation were not available. Attempts to contact him by phone were unsuccessful.
