DHAKA, July 16, 2026 (BSS) — The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) carried out a series of operations, arresting an alleged kingpin of a Cambodia-bound human trafficking network, dismantling a major online gambling syndicate and apprehending two suspected muggers in separate raids.

The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit arrested Mahafuz Ullah Siddiqui, 40, from Aftabnagar in Banasree on Wednesday evening. 

Police said he is a named suspect in a human trafficking case filed with Airport Police Station and is believed to be one of the key masterminds behind a network trafficking Bangladeshis to Cambodia.

In a separate operation, the Detective Branch's Cyber and Special Crime (South) Division arrested six members of an organised online gambling syndicate during raids in Gazipur and Cumilla. 

Police seized 6,600 mobile financial service (MFS) SIM cards, 67 additional SIMs, more than 70 mobile phones, a laptop and a microbus.

Investigators said the group managed payment systems for online gambling platforms through MFS agent accounts and converted illicit proceeds into cryptocurrency before transferring them abroad. 

The syndicate allegedly worked for Gopay, a payment company controlled by Chinese nationals, handling transactions exceeding Tk 50 million daily.

Meanwhile, CTTC officers also arrested two suspected muggers — Rubel Mia, 30, and Salehin Imtiaz, 29 — while they were allegedly preparing to commit robbery near Shishu Mela in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Wednesday night following intelligence-based surveillance.

Police said legal action has been initiated against all the arrested suspects, while investigations and further operations are going on.