Bangladesh Bank has purchased an additional 171 million US dollars from 16 commercial banks. The transaction took place on Wednesday, February 4, and was confirmed by the bank’s Executive Director and Spokesperson, Arif Hossain Khan. The cutoff price for the purchase was set at 122.30 taka per dollar.

According to the information provided, this is the second round of dollar purchases in February, bringing the total for the month to 389.5 million dollars. The central bank has been conducting multiple auctions to buy dollars during the 2025–26 fiscal year. As of the latest data, Bangladesh Bank has purchased a cumulative total of 4.32 billion dollars through these auctions.

The continued dollar purchases indicate the central bank’s ongoing efforts to manage foreign exchange reserves and stabilize the domestic currency market, as reflected in its repeated interventions through auctions.

A special operation by the Bangladesh Army in Babuganj, Barishal, led to the arrest of notorious criminal and drug dealer Shahid Pyada, aged 49, along with eight of his associates early Wednesday, February 4. The raid took place in the Bir Sreshtho Jahangirnagar Union area, where the army recovered yaba tablets, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, a large quantity of illegal cigarettes, and locally made weapons. Shahid Pyada was detained from his residence, while his associates were captured from his fish enclosure area.

The detainees, including Shahid Pyada, Shamim Sheikh, Shamim Mridha, Sirajul Islam, Shawon Sheikh, Faruk Sheikh, Washim Bepari, Mamun Khan, and Sultan, were handed over to Babuganj Police Station for legal action. The operation was conducted by a special team from the 62 East Bengal Regiment under the 6 Infantry Brigade of the 7 Infantry Division.

The arrests mark a significant step in the army’s ongoing efforts to curb organized crime and drug trafficking in the Barishal region, according to the report.

Police in Lakshmipur have filed a case and arrested businessman Sohel Rana after seizing six illegally prepared ballot seals from his printing shop, Mariam Printers, located on Old Court Road. Acting on a tip-off, officers also confiscated a computer and a mobile phone during the raid. Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration and Finance) Hossain Mohammad Raihan Kazemi confirmed the arrest on Wednesday and said Sohel’s statement would be recorded under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The name of the second accused will be disclosed later for investigative reasons.

The incident sparked political tension as the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami held separate press conferences on Tuesday night, each blaming the other. BNP Joint Secretary General and Lakshmipur-3 candidate Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie alleged that Sohel was affiliated with Jamaat and that the group was involved in the seal incident. In response, Jamaat’s Lakshmipur-3 candidate and Dhaka North Secretary Rezaul Karim denied any link, asserting that Sohel was not connected to their party.

Police sources said Sohel claimed he made the seals on order but the client never collected them, adding that he had communicated with the client via WhatsApp voice messages.

Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has arrested Emran Mia, 30, the main suspect in the murder of tomtom driver Kashem Ali in Bahubal, Habiganj. The arrest took place on February 3 at around 1:30 p.m. during a raid at Duliakhal Point in Habiganj Sadar upazila. The CNG autorickshaw used in the killing was also recovered. Emran, son of Dorbesh Ali, is from Lamatashi village in Mirpur Union, the same village as the victim.

According to PBI sources, the operation was led by Inspector Sujan Chandra Pal, the investigating officer, along with SI Mahmud, ASI Mir Shahin, and driver Constable Azim Molla. Investigators said Emran had been evading arrest for a long time by moving between different locations. Earlier, another accused named Faruk was taken into remand, through which PBI learned about Emran’s involvement.

Using advanced information technology, PBI has reportedly gathered all necessary evidence against Emran, marking a significant development in the high-profile murder case in Bahubal.

Joint forces arrested three individuals, including a commander of the Rohingya armed group ARSA, in two separate operations in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, on Wednesday. The detainees were identified as ARSA commander Zahid Hossain alias Lalu, 38, and two alleged drug traffickers, Mizan, 35, and Rakib, 18. Authorities recovered local and foreign weapons, ammunition, and narcotics during the raids.

According to military sources, an army team from Ukhiya Army Camp conducted a raid in Palongkhali Union’s Nolbonia area based on intelligence, detaining two yaba traders and seizing drug paraphernalia, local liquor, and illegal weapons used in robbery and smuggling. In a separate morning operation, ARSA commander Lalu was captured from a tea shop inside Kutupalong Camp-1 (West), where a pistol and two rounds of ammunition were found on him.

Officials stated that legal action has been taken against the detainees. Sources said Lalu had long been involved in abduction, extortion, and arms trade within the Rohingya camps, and was accused of links to multiple killings under former ARSA leader Ataullah Jununi.

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman has expressed hope that justice will be ensured for the hacking of his verified X (Twitter) account. In a Facebook post on Wednesday afternoon, he confirmed that the person involved in the hacking had been detained by law enforcement authorities. He thanked the police for their prompt action and said ensuring punishment would deter others from committing similar cybercrimes.

Earlier, Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch arrested Mohammad Saroware Alam, an assistant programmer at Bangabhaban, in connection with the hacking. The arrest took place after midnight on Tuesday during a raid at a government quarter near the east side of the Rajarbagh Police Lines auditorium. DMP’s Detective Branch chief Additional Police Commissioner Shafiqul Islam confirmed the arrest and said the suspect’s mobile phone and laptop had been seized for examination.

Dr. Rahman emphasized that legal measures against cybercrime are essential for maintaining control over digital offenses and ensuring a fair upcoming election.

Joint forces in Lohagara upazila of Chattogram conducted two separate operations early Wednesday, arresting a top criminal and another suspect’s father. The raids took place in the Barahatia area at around 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. Acting on intelligence, the team led by Lt. Colonel Mohammad Bhumedin detained Kala Babul, 35, from his home in Ward 7 of Barahatia Union, recovering one LG gun, two cartridges, seven machetes, and four mobile phones.

Kala Babul, son of Md. Yunus of Chakphirani area, was identified as a top criminal in the region. In a separate operation, the forces raided the home of the leader of the local criminal group “Tawhid Bahini” and arrested his father, Abu Taher, 65, son of the late Anu Mia. Both detainees were handed over to Lohagara Police Station following the operations.

According to the army official in charge, the operations were based on secret intelligence and aimed at curbing criminal activity in Barahatia Union.

Workers and employees at Chattogram Port began an indefinite strike on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, demanding cancellation of the lease of the NCT terminal to foreign company DP World and withdrawal of mass transfer orders. The strike was announced a day earlier by the Port Protection Struggle Council, coordinated by Md. Ibrahim Khokon. Council coordinator Md. Humayun Kabir said the protest would continue until the government withdraws from the lease process. Since morning, no trucks or lorries have entered the port, and workers have refrained from duty.

The strike follows three consecutive days of eight-hour blockades organized by labor groups including the Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad and Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal. Port activities such as container handling, cargo delivery, and vehicle movement have come to a standstill, though unloading from large to small vessels at outer anchorage continues. Over a hundred ships are reportedly waiting offshore, many carrying Ramadan consumer goods.

Labor leaders and importers blame the government and port authority for the deadlock, while a shipping adviser stated the timing of the protest before Ramadan would be investigated for possible intent to raise prices.

The Bangladesh government has decided to hire a British law firm to represent it in an international arbitration case filed by S Alam Group founder Saiful Alam and his family. The case is being heard at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) under the World Bank. The firm will be paid an hourly fee of 1,250 US dollars. The decision was approved on Tuesday at a meeting of the government’s advisory committee on public procurement, chaired by Economic Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed.

Following the meeting, Salehuddin Ahmed told reporters that the S Alam family had filed a case in London challenging the government’s actions related to alleged money laundering. He said the arbitration notice from ICSID required a formal response from Bangladesh and described the matter as complex. He confirmed that the government would appoint a British firm but did not recall its name.

The arbitration case was filed in October last year, alleging that Bangladesh’s seizure and punitive actions over alleged money laundering caused losses worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the S Alam family. The family claims protection as Singaporean citizens under international investment law and Bangladesh’s 1980 Foreign Private Investment Act.

A large-scale anti-terror operation in Pakistan’s Balochistan province has left 255 people dead over three days, according to the country’s security forces. Officials claimed that 197 members of an ‘India-backed’ separatist group were killed during the operation, along with 22 Pakistani soldiers who died in the line of duty. The violence began on January 31 when the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) launched coordinated attacks across 12 towns, killing 17 security personnel and 31 civilians.

Following the attacks, Pakistani forces and law enforcement agencies initiated a clearance operation across the province. Security sources reported that 36 civilians, including women and children, were killed in subsequent assaults over the weekend. The military’s media wing, ISPR, stated that the militants targeted ordinary citizens to disrupt normal life and development in Balochistan.

ISPR added that security forces responded with determination and professionalism, though intense fighting led to further casualties among troops. The situation remains tense as operations continue in multiple districts.

Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed stated that the interim government has already arranged the necessary funds to implement the new pay scale, ensuring that future elected administrations will find it difficult to reverse the decision. He made the remarks on Tuesday after a meeting of the Advisory Council on Procurement at the Secretariat, noting that implementation may take some time.

Discussing the government’s financial management, the adviser said the interim administration has worked to leave behind a relatively stable economic foundation for the next government. He explained that the fragile economic situation that emerged after August 5, 2024, had been largely stabilized over the past one and a half years. On the upcoming referendum, he said the government has allocated funds in the budget for its organization but is not supporting any specific outcome. He added that election expenses are higher this time due to the referendum.

Dr. Ahmed also mentioned that several unnecessary projects initiated by the previous government were discontinued, temporarily reducing employment. However, he described these measures as necessary for maintaining long-term economic balance.

The government of Bangladesh has approved separate proposals to purchase about 210,000 tonnes of fertilizer from various sources to meet farmers’ demand. The approval came on Tuesday during the fifth meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase held at the Secretariat, chaired by Economic Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed.

According to the decisions, the committee approved the import of 40,000 tonnes of DAP fertilizer from Morocco’s OCP Nutrécrops under the 11th optional lot at a cost of Tk 319.51 crore, priced at USD 651 per tonne. It also approved two separate proposals to import 30,000 tonnes each of TSP fertilizer from the same supplier under the 17th and 18th lots, each costing Tk 184.53 crore. Additionally, 40,000 tonnes of DAP fertilizer will be imported from Saudi Arabia’s Ma’aden Company under the first lot of 2026 for Tk 323.92 crore.

Further approvals include 30,000 tonnes of bagged granular urea from Bangladesh’s KAFCO for Tk 153.08 crore and 40,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea from Saudi Arabia’s SABIC Agri-Nutrients Company for Tk 205.31 crore. Officials said these imports will ensure uninterrupted fertilizer supply for farmers and support food security.

Jamuna Fertilizer Factory, the largest urea producer in Bangladesh, has resumed production after a temporary shutdown. The production restarted on Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m., according to factory sources. Operations are currently running at 75 percent capacity due to low gas pressure, with plans to gradually return to full capacity once gas supply improves.

Factory General Manager (Operations) Md. Fazlul Haque stated that production was restarted despite the risk of low gas pressure, considering the demand during the agricultural season. The decision was made to keep the plant operational on a limited scale to meet fertilizer needs.

Earlier, on January 22, the factory’s booster tripped when gas pressure dropped to 8 kilograms, forcing a complete shutdown of urea production for safety reasons. The resumption aims to stabilize fertilizer supply during the ongoing farming period.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch (DB) has detained Mohammad Saroware Alam, an assistant programmer at Bangabhaban, in connection with the hacking of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman’s X account. The arrest took place early Tuesday night following a DB operation at a government quarter near Rajarbagh Police Lines. DB Chief Additional Commissioner Shafiqul Islam confirmed the detention and said Alam’s mobile phone and laptop were seized for examination.

The incident followed a viral post from the Jamaat chief’s X handle on Saturday night containing objectionable remarks about working women. The post was later removed, and Jamaat issued a statement claiming that the account had been hacked and false statements were spread in the Ameer’s name. The DB operation was launched to trace the source of the cyberattack.

Authorities are currently analyzing the seized devices to determine the extent of the hacking and any possible accomplices involved in the incident.

Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Police (DB) launched a raid in the AGB Colony area of Motijheel late Tuesday night to identify and apprehend those responsible for hacking the X account of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman. The operation began shortly after midnight, according to DB Additional Police Commissioner Shafiqul Islam, who said further details would be shared after the raid concludes.

The move follows a social media controversy that erupted last Saturday night when a screenshot from the Jamaat chief’s X handle circulated online, containing offensive remarks about working women. The post was later removed from the account. In response, Jamaat-e-Islami issued a statement claiming that the post resulted from a cyberattack and that false statements had been spread in the name of its leader.

Authorities have yet to disclose the outcome of the ongoing operation or confirm whether any suspects have been detained in connection with the hacking incident.