Police Arrest Notorious Extortionist Behind Chittagong Racketeering Ring
Photo Collected
Police have arrested notorious Chittagong criminal Mobarak Hossain Emon, known as “David Emon,” as he attempted to flee to India from Jessore. Emon, a key operative for the fugitive underworld figure Sajjad Ali, was apprehended alongside three associates following an extensive investigation into a sophisticated extortion network that targeted businessmen and expatriates across the region. With at least 15 criminal cases pending against him, Emon was remanded to custody by a local court on Thursday.
According to police reports, Emon managed a highly structured extortion syndicate that utilized foreign-registered WhatsApp numbers to intimidate victims. Before issuing threats, his operatives would conduct meticulous surveillance, gathering intelligence on a target’s wealth, professional background, family dynamics, and even the daily schedules of their children. Once information was secured, the syndicate demanded payments ranging from several lakh to several crore taka, threatening victims and their families with lethal violence if demands were not met.
The group’s operations were marked by systematic intimidation. In July, Emon’s associates allegedly vandalized an internet service provider’s office in Bakalia after a 20-lakh taka demand was ignored, and similar attacks were carried out against construction sites in the South Pahartali ward. Victims reported that when they failed to pay, the gang resorted to physical assaults on staff and property destruction. One businessman, who paid 5 lakh taka after his family was threatened, described the payment process: the gang avoided traditional banking transfers to evade detection, instead dispatching couriers to collect cash in person from designated public locations.
Investigators revealed that the cash collected by various local cells was funneled to a man identified as Yusuf, who operated out of a restaurant in the GEC Circle area. Yusuf then allegedly laundered the funds to the fugitive kingpin Sajjad Ali via *hundi* channels or bank transfers. Law enforcement officials noted that Emon had organized his syndicate into specialized cells responsible for intelligence gathering, cash collection, and carrying out violent attacks, ensuring that individual collectors often worked outside their home areas to maintain anonymity.
Emon, who hails from Fatikchhari, began his transition from a promising local cricketer to a hardened criminal following the political shift in August 2024. He reportedly rose through the ranks of Sajjad Ali’s gang after the arrest of other senior lieutenants, eventually becoming one of two primary leaders overseeing the organization’s regional criminal operations alongside Mohammad Rayhan. Authorities believe the gang maintains a network of at least 50 active shooters and associates.
In a chilling admission prior to his arrest, Emon defended his path during a brief interaction with the media. When questioned about his transition to organized crime, he stated, “I always had the desire to either be a great cricketer or a wealthy man. I chose this path to become wealthy.” Police recovered firearms during the arrest and are now focusing on locating Yusuf to further dismantle the syndicate’s financial infrastructure. Officials have urged other victims to step forward, promising that Emon’s detention will lead to more critical breakthroughs in ongoing investigations.
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