Former Bangladesh Police Chief Benazir Ahmed Arrested in Dubai

Kathmandu. Former Bangladesh Police Chief Benazir Ahmed has been arrested from Dubai. An Interpol wanted list request had been filed against him.

Benazir, once a close aide of former autocratic leader Sheikh Hasina, left the country in May 2024.

He led the paramilitary force called the 'Rapid Action Battalion', and the United States imposed sanctions against him and some other Bangladeshi officials in 2021 for alleged roles in hundreds of disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

"Former Police Chief Ahmed was arrested on June 12 and will be extradited soon," Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told the parliament. He stated that Interpol had issued a 'Red Notice' against Ahmed.

He said, "This is a historic achievement. Through these efforts, we will be able to break the culture of impunity."

"We want to assure the nation that no criminal, however powerful, is above the law," he said.

He has been in exile since August 2024 after a student-led uprising overthrew Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.