Taposh, a godfather of Dhaka’s underworld

Banglapress Published: 23 September 2025, 10:25 AM

Taposh, a godfather of Dhaka’s underworld

Bangla Press Desk: Awami League leader Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh was an unfortunate orphan. But he used the condolences and extra affection he received from well-wishers to his own advantage, becoming a major criminal ringleader. He not only amassed illegal wealth due to ties with the strong Awami League political party, but also created a network of vicious criminals. As a lawyer, he could bail out arrested criminals, many a time through unfair routes, and in the process extracted a huge sum of money from the wicked. This helped him assume the role of godfather in Dhaka’s underworld, ousting his paternal uncle Sheik Fazlul Karim Selim. In 2019, the Awami League autocratic regime initiated a drive against illegal casino owners including many affiliated with the ruling party. This apparent good gesture was, in reality, a result of internal disagreements over control between Taposh and his criminal allies. Taposh instigated then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to go after Samrat, Khaled and many other ruling party terrorists who had made fortunes through their illicit casino businesses.

He also sought to wrest control of Jubo League, a key terror outfit of Awami League, by ousting his another paternal uncle, Omar Faruk Chowdhury, from the helm. Omar Faruk was replaced by Sheikh Fazle Shams Parasn, Taposh’s elder brother, as Jubo League chairman. But, eventually, Taposh developed an enmity even with Fazle Shams Parash, out of jealousy at the elder’s extortion activities. Taposh ensured many Jubo League were jailed, taking the fraternal dispute before the public eye. A scrutiny of the files at Taposh’s law chamber, revealed he provided legal advice to a number of top criminals including Sweden Aslam, Picchi Helal, Jisan, Subrata Bain, Bikash, Killer Abbas and more. He also ensured that the dangerous Bikash get bail through the Supreme Court’s intervention. Ultimately, Taposh persuaded the president to pardon Bikash. Bikash later fled the country. All legal procedures for Aslam’s bail were handled by Taposh’s law firm. Aslam was released from prison after August 5. Additionally, Taposh was responsible for handling the bail applications and legal matters of “Pichchi Helal” as his lawyer. This led to two significant developments. First, these top underworld criminals gradually came under Taposh’s control. Through them, Taposh became the godfather of criminals in Dhaka city. Second, the dark underworld that had developed under the leadership of Samrat and Khaled during the Awami League era was dismantled by Taposh. By removing Samrat and Khaled and establishing a new underworld, Taposh emerged as its new godfather. Samrat and Khaled, the former top gangsters, were imprisoned because they did not show support or allegiance to Taposh. Investigations from various sources revealed that if any underworld figures surrendered to Taposh, law enforcement agencies would not arrest them—instead, they would offer various forms of protection. Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh reorganized the underworld into a new structure, and everyone within it was identified as being affiliated with him. This article was originally published on Daily Sun.

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[Bangla Press is a global platform for free thought. It provides impartial news, analysis, and commentary for independent-minded individuals. Our goal is to bring about positive change, which is more important today than ever before.]