In a dramatic scene at a Dhaka court on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, Trimoti Subrata Bain, alias Mohammad Fateh Ali, a 61-year-old listed criminal, unleashed a passionate tirade against the media, accusing them of painting him as an extortionist and robber.
Handcuffed to the dock, Subrata claimed to be misunderstood, challenging journalists to uncover the truth and lamenting his lack of resources to control his narrative.
"If I had money, I would have launched newspapers, opened TV channels," Subrata declared, his voice laced with frustration.
"They say I extort money, rob people. Hey brother, investigate who extorted money by changing my name. In this modern era, if you can’t catch the real extortionist, what’s the point of journalism?"
His words, delivered before the judge took the bench, were both a plea and a provocation, urging the press to dig deeper rather than perpetuate what he called "yellow journalism."
Subrata, along with three accomplices—Abu Russell Masud alias Molla Masud, 53, MAS Sharif, 25, and Md Arafat Ibne Masud, 43—was produced before Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Zakir Hossain in a case filed under the Arms Act at Hatirjheel Police Station. The group had been arrested in Kushtia on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Subrata was granted an eight-day remand, while his accomplices faced six days.
In a candid moment, Subrata admitted to possessing weapons, stating, "I keep weapons to survive. If I said I didn’t, I’d be lying. Liakat, Murgi Milon were my enemies. I came to this place by fighting them."
Subrata also shared a glimpse of his ordeal since his extradition from India on the 26th of Ramadan in 2022. "I was kept in an ‘aynaghar’ for two and a half years," he claimed, describing a grueling detention where his hands and feet were bound. "At 3:00am on August 5, 2024, they blindfolded me, handcuffed me, and released me."
Turning to the journalists in the courtroom, Subrata issued a challenge: "Write the truth. Don’t be yellow journalists. They’ve been writing against me since 1989. Don’t write anything influenced by anyone."
At 61, with a family to support, he expressed concern about the consequences of media portrayals, urging the new generation of reporters to investigate thoroughly. "I pray for you," he added, a surprising note of goodwill amid his defiance.
Trimoti Subrata Bain, a Moghbazar-based gangster, rose to infamy in the 1990s. Educated at Sher-e-Bangla School, his criminal career began at Siddheswari College, where political ties introduced him to firearms. Leading the “Seven Star” syndicate with Amin Rasul Sagor, Subrata’s gang dominated Moghbazar through violence and extortion. Notable crimes include the 1991 murder of student leader Murad, earning him a life sentence, and extortion during the Bishal Centre’s construction.
Despite multiple arrests, Subrata secured bail repeatedly, resuming criminal activities. His political connections with BNP leaders during the 1991 elections earned him the “celebrity gangster” moniker. Clashes with Juba League’s Liaquat over Moghbazar intensified his notoriety. An Interpol Red Notice in 2001 led him to Kolkata, where he was arrested in 2008, escaped to Nepal, and was rearrested in 2012.
Resurfacing in Dhaka after the Awami League’s fall in August 2024, Subrata reconnected with associates in Moghbazar and Mohakhali. His return to crime culminated in his arrest in Kushtia on May 27, 2025, underscoring his enduring presence in Dhaka’s underworld. Subrata’s story raises questions about recidivism, political patronage, and the challenges of curbing organized crime in Bangladesh.