Bangladesh’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has uncovered a major racket involved in stealing and selling confidential national identity (NID) data. Two Election Commission employees—a computer operator and a data entry operator—were arrested in Dhaka on January 14 and 15, 2026. They allegedly used secret login credentials to access and sell sensitive citizen information through social media, earning over ten million taka monthly.

Investigators found that data entry operator Md Alamin shared his high-level access ID and password with computer operator Md Habibullah in exchange for weekly payments. Habibullah then sold NID records online for 200 to 300 taka each. An internal Election Commission probe revealed that 112,150 NID records were accessed in one week and 365,608 in a month, generating an estimated 110 million taka. The suspects admitted to using OTP transfers to enter the main server and selling data for profit.

A case has been filed under the Cyber Security Act and the National Identity Registration Act at Paltan Model Police Station. CID’s Cyber Police Center is currently investigating the case.

A Venezuelan man was shot and killed by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis on Wednesday, according to city officials who confirmed the incident and urged residents to remain calm. The shooting occurred just a week after another fatal encounter involving federal agents and a U.S. woman, reigniting public tension in the city.

Officials from Minneapolis stated on social media that they understood the public’s anger and concern, while again calling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to leave the city and state. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed the shooting, saying the Venezuelan man, described as an undocumented immigrant, was targeted during a traffic stop and allegedly resisted arrest. TRT World reported that two individuals from a nearby apartment attacked an officer with a snow shovel and broom handle during the incident.

DHS said the officer fired a defensive shot to protect his life, hitting the man in the leg; he later died. Several elected officials from Minneapolis and Minnesota condemned the actions of ICE and other federal agents under DHS following the incident.

Abdullah Al Jaber, member secretary of the political-cultural platform Inquilab Moncho, has filed a no-confidence petition against the charge sheet submitted by the Detective Branch (DB) police in the murder case of the platform’s spokesperson, Shaheed Sharif Osman Bin Hadi. The petition was filed on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam in Dhaka through lawyer Mostafizur Rahman Mukul. The court accepted the petition and kept its order pending.

According to the plaintiff’s lawyer, the DB’s charge sheet failed to establish links between the alleged planners and the shooters, and did not reflect the scale of planning behind Hadi’s killing. The lawyer argued that the inclusion of a ward councillor as a suspect was insufficient and that the investigation overlooked key conspirators. The charge sheet, submitted on January 6 by DB Inspector Faisal Ahmed, named 17 accused, including six fugitives and eleven in custody.

The case stems from the December 12 shooting of Hadi in Dhaka’s Paltan area. He later died on December 18 in Singapore after being transferred for advanced treatment. The court will decide on the petition after reviewing the charge sheet’s admissibility.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested 29 individuals on January 14, 2026, during citywide raids under Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2. The arrests were made by police teams from Jatrabari, Rupnagar, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Kalabagan, and Motijheel police stations. According to DMP’s Media and Public Relations Division, the operation targeted crime-prone areas across the capital.

Jatrabari police detained nine suspects, Rupnagar six, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar six, Kalabagan one, and Motijheel seven. The detainees were reportedly involved in various criminal activities, including old cases. The coordinated daylong operation was part of an ongoing effort to curb urban crime under the DMP’s special campaign.

The DMP stated that the arrests were made following intelligence-led drives in multiple neighborhoods. Further legal actions against the detainees are expected as investigations continue under the supervision of respective police stations.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained four individuals, including an alleged human trafficker, while they were attempting to cross into India illegally through the Bokchar border in Chapainawabganj on Wednesday evening. The operation took place around 7 p.m. based on secret intelligence, and the arrests were confirmed by Lieutenant Colonel Kazi Mustafizur Rahman, commanding officer of BGB’s 53rd Battalion.

The detained trafficker was identified as Md. Shahin, son of Ebadul Islam from Bokchar village. The other detainees were Mizanur Rahman from Chapainawabganj’s Shibganj upazila, Shafiqul Islam Munna from Rajshahi city, and Tarajul Islam from Mithapukur in Rangpur. During questioning, the detainees reportedly said they were planning to travel to Chennai, India, with Shahin’s help to work as masons.

BGB handed the four detainees over to Chapainawabganj Sadar Police Station. Officer-in-Charge Md. Nure Alam confirmed that a case was filed based on BGB’s complaint and that the detainees would be presented before court.

Police in Chattogram have revealed that a series of arson attacks on minority homes in Raozan and Rangunia were part of a politically motivated conspiracy. According to investigators and confessional statements, the attacks were organized to create unrest and international pressure aimed at facilitating the return of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Before the fires, Tk 1.3 million was allegedly distributed among homeowners as compensation. The incidents occurred in December, destroying five houses belonging to Hindu, Buddhist, and hill communities, though no casualties were reported.

The main accused, Monir Hossain, confessed before a Chattogram court that he was introduced to local Awami League leaders and professional criminals who planned the attacks. Meetings were reportedly held in Khagrachhari to finalize the plan, and banners containing inflammatory messages and phone numbers were found at the sites. Police later arrested seven suspects and seized banners, kerosene containers, and vehicles used in the crimes.

At a press briefing, police officials described the incidents as deliberate and conspiratorial attempts to incite communal tension and mislead the international community. Three cases have been filed in connection with the attacks.

A case has been filed in a Dhaka court against five individuals, including three officials of Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL), for allegedly abusing government authority to shut down the websites of the University of Skill Enrichment and Technology (USET) and threatening a university official. The case was lodged by USET adviser Muha. Tajul Islam before Metropolitan Magistrate Md Hasan Shahadat’s court, which directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate and submit a report.

According to the case, the accused include BTCL’s Moghbazar Telephone Exchange Deputy General Manager (Broadband-2) Joyita Sen Rimpi, Deputy General Manager (Domain) Mostafa Al Mahmud, Assistant Manager (Domain) Abir Kalyan Abedin, and two officials from the Ministry of Education. The complaint states that despite USET’s compliance with payment and documentation requirements, BTCL refused to accept them and later deactivated the university’s domains www.uset.ac.bd and www.uset.edu.bd on January 11, 2026.

The plaintiff alleged that the accused verbally abused and threatened him, refused to accept legal documents, and acted with bias. The court’s directive for CID investigation marks the next procedural step in the case.

Serious allegations of systematic extortion have emerged at the Balukhali Customs, Excise and VAT checkpost on the Ukhiya–Teknaf highway in Cox’s Bazar. Victims claim a syndicate collects illegal payments from over a hundred goods-laden vehicles daily, charging between Tk 200 and Tk 500 per truck. The alleged activities are reportedly conducted under cover, with drivers forced to pay to avoid harassment or vehicle detention. Several major companies’ local distributors, including those of Pran, Akij, and RFL, are said to face regular extortion while transporting goods.

Field observations described vehicles being stopped and drivers taken behind covers to pay money. Victims also alleged irregularities in customs auctions, claiming that required public announcements are bypassed and auctions are confined to a select group. Seized vehicles were reportedly left neglected in open spaces. According to the Customs Act 2023 and National Board of Revenue rules, cash collection at checkposts is prohibited, yet the situation at Balukhali appears contrary to regulations.

Balukhali Customs chief Masud Al Helal denied all allegations, asserting that no money is collected at his post and that all procedures, including auctions, follow official rules.

A Muslim laborer from Jharkhand named Diljani Ansari was attacked in Mangaluru, Karnataka, after being falsely accused of being a Bangladeshi national. The incident occurred on Sunday in the Kulur area when four young men stopped him, demanded his identification, and accused him of being an illegal immigrant. Despite Ansari’s insistence that he was Indian, the attackers beat him and struck his head with an object, leaving him seriously injured. A local woman rescued him, but he did not file a police complaint out of fear, instead informing local leaders who later notified the police.

Police investigations confirmed that Ansari is an Indian citizen who has worked in Mangaluru for about six months each year over the past 15 years. The suspects, identified as Sagar, Danush, Lalu Rathish, and Mohan, are reportedly linked to a right-wing organization. Authorities have charged them with attempted murder and criminal intimidation, though all four remain at large.

The report notes that incidents of violence against Muslims suspected of being Bangladeshis have been increasing, particularly in states with strong Hindu nationalist influence.

The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has found evidence that former Bangladesh Bank deputy governor S M Moniruzzaman received Tk 20 million in bribes from the controversial business conglomerate S Alam Group. The BFIU report states that the payment was made in August 2021 through a pay order from an S Alam-owned company account, shortly after Moniruzzaman opened a new savings account. The funds were later used to open three fixed deposits. The report found no documentation of any legitimate service or contract behind the payment and described the transaction as highly suspicious.

The BFIU also discovered that Moniruzzaman worked for 27 months after retirement at an S Alam-owned company, earning Tk 650,000 monthly. Investigators suspect he may have provided undue advantages to S Alam-linked banks and institutions during his tenure as deputy governor between 2016 and 2020. The findings have been forwarded to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for further action.

Moniruzzaman denied all allegations, claiming the Tk 20 million was payment for a property he sold to S Alam Group.

A joint operation led by the Bangladesh Navy seized 80,000 yaba pills in Teknaf’s Hnila Union, Leda area on Wednesday, January 14. The operation was conducted with the participation of the Coast Guard and police, following intelligence information about drug trafficking in the region. During the search of several suspected autorickshaws, one driver abandoned his vehicle and fled into a Rohingya camp, leaving behind the narcotics.

Officials reported that the seized yaba pills have an estimated market value of around 40 million taka. The autorickshaw used to transport the drugs was also confiscated. Both the drugs and the vehicle were later handed over to Teknaf Police Station for legal action.

Authorities stated that the Bangladesh Navy regularly conducts such operations to safeguard national maritime sovereignty and maintain internal security by preventing drug trafficking, terrorism, and other criminal activities in its designated areas.

Seven people have died in Rangpur over the past three days after consuming rectified spirit alcohol reportedly collected from local homeopathic pharmacies. Police confirmed that two more people, Abdul Malek of Gopalpur Union and Rashedul Islam of Shyampur, died recently, bringing the total death toll to seven. Several others remain critically ill, and the bodies of the latest victims were sent to Rangpur Medical College Hospital for autopsy.

Among the deceased is Zainul Abedin, a known drug dealer who was in Rangpur Central Jail facing drug and murder charges. He died while under treatment at Rangpur Medical College Hospital. Police have recovered ten bottles of rectified spirit and filed two separate cases in Badarganj and Hajirhat police stations. Law enforcement agencies, including the Detective Branch and the Department of Narcotics Control, have conducted raids at a homeopathic chamber in the city.

Rangpur Superintendent of Police Marufat Hossain stated that drug dealers had been collecting the spirit from certain homeopathic chambers. Investigations and operations are continuing to trace the source and prevent further incidents.

A joint operation led by the army in Shibpur upazila of Narsingdi recovered a large quantity of weapons and drugs and arrested seven individuals early Wednesday morning. The raid took place in the Kararchar and Jangaila areas under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Shamim Rahman, PSC Sigs of the 9 Signal Battalion. The seized items and detainees were handed over to Shibpur Model Police Station.

According to the report, the recovered materials included one firearm with two cartridges, three pistol magazines, 1,600 yaba tablets, cash amounting to Tk 1,540,100, 17 mobile phones, two samurai swords, six bottles of phensedyl, nine bottles of foreign liquor, two fake pistols, two machetes, and one laptop. The arrested persons were identified as residents of Kararchar, Shahapur, and Jangaila areas. Shibpur Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Kohinur Mia confirmed the incident.

The operation highlights ongoing law enforcement efforts in Narsingdi to curb illegal arms and narcotics activities, with the seized items now under police custody for further investigation.

Armed assailants opened fire at an under-construction building in Dhaka’s Badda area on Tuesday night, allegedly over extortion demands. Police confirmed that the incident occurred at a site owned by a developer company named Royal Mission. The Badda Police Station’s officer-in-charge, Md Nasirul Amin, stated that reports of gunfire at the National Citizen Party (NCP) office were false.

According to police, the attackers identified themselves as associates of a man named Mehedi before firing shots in front of the building. Mehedi is reportedly abroad, and a police team is investigating those linked to his group. The developer’s owners had recently received phone threats demanding money from extortionists.

Mahbub Alam, head of the NCP’s election media subcommittee, said the shooting took place near the party’s organizational office in Ward 38 but was unrelated to any political office or figure. He added that the incident did not appear to have political connections.

A Dhaka Cyber Tribunal has dismissed a case filed under the Digital Security Act against former Bangladesh Pratidin editor Naeem Nizam and two others. The order, issued on Wednesday by Judge Mohammad Saidur Rahman, also acquitted publisher Moynal Hossain Chowdhury and Bangla Insider editor Syed Borhan Kabir. The court ruled that the charges were not covered under the Cyber Security Ordinance, leading to the case’s cancellation.

Defense lawyer Enamul Haque argued that the charges under sections 25, 29, and 35 of the 2018 Digital Security Act had been annulled by the Cyber Security Ordinance 2025, as published in an official gazette on October 22, 2025. The ordinance states that cases under those sections cannot continue in court, prompting the tribunal to issue the acquittal order.

The case was originally filed on February 15, 2022, by Barrister M Sarwar Hossain, who alleged defamatory reporting in Bangladesh Pratidin and Bangla Insider. The CID later submitted a report in November 2024 accusing three individuals, but the tribunal’s latest ruling effectively ends the proceedings.