Retired Lt Gen Masud Uddin Chowdhury arrested

The Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has arrested retired Lieutenant General Masud Uddin Chowdhury, a high-profile figure from the 2007–08 caretaker government and former Member of Parliament, in a late-night operation in the capital.

Chowdhury was detained at a residence on Road No. 2 in the Baridhara DOHS area on Monday night. 

Deputy Inspector General Shafiqul Islam, head of the DB, confirmed the arrest early Tuesday morning.

“We have taken him into custody. There are as many as five cases currently pending against him,” DIG Shafiqul Islam told reporters. 

Earlier, in August 2025, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) filed a case against Chowdhury and 32 others under the Money Laundering Prevention Act. 

He is accused of leading a syndicate through his agency, Five M International, which allegedly embezzled over Tk 100 crore by overcharging nearly 10,000 migrant workers bound for Malaysia.
He was named in a September 2024 case alongside former minister Imran Ahmad and other lawmakers for his alleged involvement in a massive Tk 24,000 crore manpower recruitment scam.
As a central figure of the 2007–08  caretaker government, Chowdhury has served as the chief coordinator of the National Coordination Committee on Combating Serious Crimes during the operation against politicians and businessmen. 

Masud Uddin Chowdhury rose to immense power during the caretaker government while serving as the GOC of the 9th Infantry Division. 

He was widely considered the "second most powerful man" in the country at the time, overseeing the arrests of major political figures, including the current Prime Minister and former Prime Ministers.

After his military tenure, he served as the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Australia. He later joined the Jatiya Party and was elected as a Member of Parliament for the Feni-3 constituency in both 2018 and 2024.

Following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, Chowdhury went into hiding after his personal residence in Feni was vandalized and set on fire by protesters.