The Detective Branch (DB) of the police force has detained Sayed Khan, Dhaka Correspondent for The Mirror Asia and Organizing Secretary of a faction of the Dhaka Union of Journalists.

The incident occurred late Thursday night, causing widespread alarm among the journalistic community in Dhaka.

According to the accounts from our correspondents, a team of 15-16 DB officers forcibly entered Sayed’s residence around 11:45 pm. They posing as Wi-Fi technicians persuaded his son to open the door. Upon entry, they subjected Sayed's wife to verbal abuse before taking him away.

The following morning, his wife visited the DB headquarters at 10 am in a desperate attempt to locate her husband. The DB police denied any knowledge of Sayeed’s arrest.

Contradicting this claim, a reliable source within the intelligence police confirmed that Sayed was in DB custody.

According to the source, Sayed was apprehended due to his alleged involvement in disseminating information related to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and maintaining contact with its leaders.

This incident is part of a broader crackdown on the media in Bangladesh, as DB officers in plainclothes have conducted raids on several journalists' homes over the past two nights. This aggressive approach has heightened tensions, exerting undue pressure on the country's media.

Reports indicate that when journalists were not found at home, officers inquired about their whereabouts from local residents, creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Press Secretary, Nayeemul Islam Khan, has been orchestrating a campaign to coerce Dhaka's journalists into aligning their coverage with government directives.

Sources said that the government, under dictator Sheikh Hasina's regime, is exerting immense pressure on the media, heavily influenced by military intelligence, to suppress the true state of affairs in Dhaka.

Journalists have been instructed to avoid reporting on the ongoing unrest and protests, instead portraying a false narrative of peace and stability.

The abduction of Sayed and the escalating intimidation of journalists highlight the fragile state of press freedom in Bangladesh. The journalistic community and international observers remain deeply concerned about the increasing repression and its implications for democracy and transparency in the country.