The District Detective Branch (DB) of the Comilla Police has apprehended Imran Hossain, known as Ratan, the ringleader of the notorious teenage gang identified as the Ratan Group or R-Squad, during a raid in Cox’s Bazar. His primary associate, 20-year-old Saiful Islam, was also taken into custody during the same operation. In a simultaneous crackdown within Comilla city, law enforcement arrested two top leaders of another gang, Crime Setup, identified as Mohammad Sabbir, alias Point Sabbir (24), and his accomplice Rabiul Islam Nabi, alias King Maker (24).
The arrests were confirmed by Additional Superintendent of Police and district media officer Md. Lutfar Rahman on Saturday (October 5) afternoon. He stated that the operations were carried out under the directives of Comilla Superintendent of Police Md. Anisuzzaman as part of an ongoing, intensified anti-gang drive. According to police data, the district authorities have conducted continuous operations against teenage gangs for the past 10 days, during which over 2,000 suspects have been detained for questioning. While those found innocent are released into the custody of their guardians, legal action is being initiated against those with verified involvement in criminal activities.
Imran Hossain, a resident of the Chotora Mafizabad Colony, faces nine criminal charges, including murder. Law enforcement officials have long identified him as the primary operative behind the R-Squad, a group notorious for territorial dominance, public displays of weaponry, extortion, mugging, and drug trafficking. Among the grave charges against him is his alleged role as the prime suspect in the 2022 murder of Shahadat Hossain. That incident, which occurred on August 19, 2022, outside the Our Lady of Fatima School in Comilla, was linked by authorities to a violent rivalry between the Ratan Group and the Eagle Group.
Ratan’s influence remained a focal point of police investigations following the murder of seventh-grader Ishayat Shahriar Oprotim, which prompted a surge in anti-gang operations. During a second wave of raids on September 26, police apprehended 254 individuals, including Anisur Rahman, who was identified as Ratan's nephew and the gang's second-in-command. Reports indicate that Ratan had been operating from hiding, utilizing associates like the newly arrested Saiful Islam—who himself faces ten separate criminal cases—to maintain the gang’s illicit network.
The arrest of Crime Setup leaders Point Sabbir and King Maker marks a significant blow to organized teenage delinquency in the city. Police officials emphasized that both the R-Squad and Crime Setup are categorized as dangerous criminal entities responsible for destabilizing social order in Comilla. Additional Superintendent of Police Md. Lutfar Rahman reiterated the district police's firm stance, stating that there will be no leniency for individuals or groups enticing youths into criminal activity, and affirmed that the crackdown will continue until these gangs are fully dismantled.
