Terror group associate and teenage gang leader Md. Babu Khan, widely known as ‘Tunda Babu,’ has been arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). He was detained on Wednesday from Kalia in Gopalganj district.
RAB officials revealed the arrest during a press briefing on Thursday at the RAB media center in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar.
According to the elite force, Tunda Babu is a top associate of the notorious "Kobzikata Group" that operates in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur area and is involved in numerous criminal activities including extortion, mugging, drug peddling, land grabbing, and armed robbery.
RAB-2 Director Mohammad Khalidul Haque Hawlader stated that during preliminary questioning, Babu admitted he worked under the directives of Mohammadpur’s most feared criminal, Anwar, alias `Kobzikata Anwar.’
Acting on Anwar’s orders, Babu led and coordinated operations of the gang, which often broke into small groups during the day to mug pedestrians in quiet areas, stealing cash, mobile phones, laptops, and other belongings. By night, they carried out armed home invasions and road robberies.
Babu and his group were also deeply involved in the drug trade in various areas, the official added.
One high-profile incident involving Tunda Babu took place on February 18, when CCTV footage emerged on social media showing him brandishing sharp weapons in both hands while parading with gang members in Dhaka’s Shyamoli Housing Project area.
He was arrested on February 24, but released on bail on May 5, after which he resumed his criminal activities.
RAB reported that Babu has more than ten criminal cases lodged against him in various Dhaka police stations, including charges of murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, theft, and extortion.
The press briefing also highlighted RAB-2’s recent crackdown in Mohammadpur, which led to the arrests of several key gang figures, including drug trafficker Bhuiyan Sohel (alias Buniya Sohel), Selim Ashrafi (alias Chua Selim), and Kobzikata Anwar himself, all of whom were detained along with their associates.
