On Friday 30 October 2026, after Juma prayers, Abdullah Al Mahmud, 43, editor of the Muktomon newspaper, was attacked by a drug seller in the railway-line area of Sector 8 in Uttara, in the capital Dhaka.[1] Mahmud said a seller there offered him drugs, and that once he understood he quickly grabbed the man’s hand.[1] With help from several local people, cannabis, 2,100 taka in cash and a locally made weapon were recovered from the man.[1] The seller then struck Mahmud with a switch-gear knife hidden at his waist and fled.[1]
Officers from Uttara East and Dakshinkhan police stations reached the scene and took the recovered cannabis, cash and other materials into their custody.[1] Sub-inspector Amir Khosru of Uttara East, speaking to the national news agency BSS, said that after watching video they were moving quickly against those responsible, and that the administration would take whatever steps were needed to clear the drug den.[1]
The incident angered local residents, who asked the administration to intervene urgently so that the Sector 8 railway area would be free of drugs and snatching.[1] Local journalists demanded that those involved in the attack be identified quickly and brought under the law, and that anti-drug operations in the area be stepped up.[1]
