Former Foreign Ministry DG Sabbir Bin Shams Arrested at Lalmonirhat Border
Photo Collected
LALMONIRHAT, Bangladesh — Police have arrested Sabbir Bin Shams, 57, the former Director General (DG) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while he was allegedly infiltrating the country through the Patgram Upazila border in Lalmonirhat. He was apprehended from the Banger Bazar area of the Dahagram-Angarpotar border and has subsequently been sent to court.
Acting on a tip-off regarding illegal trespassing from India, law enforcement detained Shams at the Dahagram border. During the arrest, police recovered a total of seven passports from his possession, including two red diplomatic passports. Additionally, an international driving license, a button phone, and a sum of Bangladeshi currency were seized from him.
Shown Arrested in Arson and Homicide Case
Following his detention, a General Diary (GD) was lodged at the Patgram Police Station, and Shams was transferred to the custody of the Detective Branch (DB) of police for primary interrogation.
Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Said Ahmed confirmed that Shams was later transferred to the Sadar Police station and formally shown arrested in connection with a highly publicized arson and homicide case. The case pertains to the violent attack, vandalism, looting, and subsequent torching of the multi-story residence of Suman Khan, the Joint Secretary of the Lalmonirhat District Awami League, during the mass uprising of August 2024. Six individuals lost their lives in the fire during that incident. The formal case regarding the tragedy was filed on May 27, 2025, and Shams was identified as an accused during the ongoing police investigation. He was produced before the Lalmonirhat court on Sunday afternoon.
Past Political and Diplomatic Roles
Speaking to reporters while in police custody, Sabbir Bin Shams detailed his previous professional timeline. He stated that he had served as the Executive Director of the Centre for Research and Information (CRI)—the research and strategy wing of the Awami League—until his resignation in August 2020.
In 2021, the then-government appointed him as the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on a three-year contractual agreement. He occupied the DG post for approximately seven months before being stationed abroad as the Minister of Public Diplomacy at the Bangladesh High Commission in London, United Kingdom. Shams resigned from his diplomatic post in the UK in 2023 and returned to Dhaka. Police sources note that he also faces separate legal proceedings initiated by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) regarding his tenure at the CRI.
Shams belongs to the traditional Baksi family of Lalmonirhat town. Following his production in court, his defense counsel, Rafiqul Islam, stated around 3:00 PM that the legal team has completed all preparations to present formal arguments and seek bail for the former diplomat.
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