‘Operation Clean Heart’ set to return

Operation Clean Heart, the joint anti-crime drive launched under the BNP government in 2002 under then-Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, was aimed at curbing crime and restoring law and order. More than two decades later, the BNP is again in power, while authorities are facing renewed concerns over extortion, land grabbing and other crimes.

Against this backdrop, the government is considering a fresh joint operation modelled on the previous campaign. Although no specific name has been given to the proposed operation, government sources said it could be tougher than the earlier drive. The operation could begin at any time under the direction of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, they added.

Extortion and other criminal activities have recently increased in different parts of the country, causing concern among the public. According to Police Headquarters sources, a special operation has been underway nationwide since May. Several thousand people have been arrested and firearms and other weapons recovered during the drive.

Despite the ongoing operation, crime has continued. Against this backdrop, the Home Minister has instructed the authorities to intensify the special drive.

At a meeting at the Home Ministry yesterday, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said no political or party affiliation would be considered in dealing with criminals. He said action against those violating the law would continue.

The police, Special Response Battalion (SRB) and other law enforcement agencies have been instructed to intensify regular and special operations against extortionists, armed criminals, drug dealers and terrorists. Law enforcement agencies maintain regularly updated lists of criminals and are conducting targeted operations based on those lists.

On concerns raised by 38 eminent citizens over land grabbing and extortion allegedly carried out using political influence, the Home Minister said no political identity would be taken into consideration. “Regardless of political identity, we are treating a criminal as a criminal,” he said.

Chief Whip of Parliament Nurul Islam Moni said no one would be allowed to take advantage of any deterioration in the law and order situation. “The government is strong, and there is no scope to consider it weak,” he said.

Speaking after paying tribute at the graves of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia with members of the Olama Dal on Wednesday morning, he said the government would take whatever measures were necessary to improve law and order.

Meanwhile, security experts have said there is no alternative to a joint operation to contain the deteriorating law and order situation caused by snatching, extortion, land grabbing and other criminal activities in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country.

Against this backdrop, Prime Minister’s Information Adviser Dr Zahed Ur Rahman said at a press conference at the Secretariat on Tuesday that joint forces could be deployed if necessary to maintain law and order in the interest of the state and the people.

Hints have also emerged from policy-making circles that a joint operation could begin under the Prime Minister’s direction. However, no law enforcement agency has provided specific information about the updated list of extortionists and criminals. Officials said such lists are confidential and that disclosing the identities of those on them could allow the suspects to evade arrest.

A.H.M. Shahadat Hossain, Assistant Inspector General (Media) of Police Headquarters, told Inqilab last night that Police Headquarters does not prepare a central list of criminals. Different police units prepare such lists, and arrests are made accordingly.

He said special operations are currently continuing. If the government orders a combined operation, the police will work in coordination with other agencies to arrest criminals, he added.

According to sources in the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), a list was prepared after more than one and a half years of investigation in every police station area of the capital. The list reportedly contains the names of 1,536 people allegedly involved in land grabbing, occupying footpaths and extortion across Dhaka.

Of them, 1,252 were reportedly identified as active extortionists at the field level, while 278 were identified as alleged key patrons of the network. A report claimed that 230 of the 278 alleged patrons were leaders or activists of the BNP and its affiliated organisations.

Asked about the alleged updated list, DMP Deputy Commissioner (Media and Public Relations) Md Akter Hossain told Inqilab yesterday that he was unaware of any such list published citing the DMP. He said the DMP had not released such information.

He added that the police intelligence wing and other agencies might have prepared such lists. Asked how suspects would be identified for a joint or intensified operation if there was no such list, Akter Hossain said criminals would be arrested based on the cases filed against them and the number and nature of those cases.

He said lists of criminals are also maintained by different police units, including officers working at the beat level. Other agencies, including the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), may also maintain such lists. Their identities remain confidential until arrest, he added.

DMP sources said 506 cases related to extortion were filed at different police stations in the capital between January and September 26 this year. Of these, 48 were filed in January, 41 in February, 58 in March, 71 in April, 65 in May, 47 in June, 49 in July, 67 in August and 59 up to September 26.

Meanwhile, 703 cases related to snatching were filed in Dhaka from January last year to June this year, with 1,837 people arrested in connection with the cases. In 2025, 531 such cases were filed, leading to 1,435 arrests. From January to June this year, 172 cases were filed and 402 people were arrested.

Recent DMP data also indicate a shift in control of Dhaka’s extortion networks following the political change of August 5, 2024. According to police investigators, before that date, extortion from sectors including footpaths and transport reportedly benefited the then ruling Awami League and its affiliated organisations. After the change in government, control of those revenue streams allegedly shifted to BNP leaders and activists.

Meanwhile, Wing Commander M Z M Entekhab Chowdhury, Director of the Legal and Media Wing of the Special Response Battalion, said the agency maintains its own list of criminals nationwide based on intelligence, field-level investigations and information collected from various sources.

He said the SRB had continued arresting suspected criminals and handing them over to the authorities during the ongoing special operation. The operation would continue, he added.

“Those on the list will not be spared. No one is above the law. Whoever the criminal is, they will be brought under the law,” he said.