Matador Group, one of the country's leading pen manufacturers, has been accused of establishing a vast empire of land grabbing and various criminal activities in the Hazaribagh and Kamrangirchar areas of Dhaka, reportedly under the protection of the previous Awami League government, which was ousted following a student-led uprising.
Residents of Hazaribagh allege that over the past decade, under the patronage of Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, the sacked former mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), Matador Group’s chairman, Advocate Md Shah Alam, has taken possession of numerous properties, leaving many people destitute.
Despite seeking recourse through legal avenues, several victims claimed they have been unable to reclaim their land. Instead, those who protested have been met with lawsuits and violent retribution, forcing them to flee the area.
Investigations suggest that Supreme Court Advocate Md Shah Alam served as the chief electoral coordinator for Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh in several elections. He is also known as Taposh's chief election donor.
His second son, Md Jahangir Alam, the director of Matador Group, serves as the organisational secretary of Hazaribagh Thana Awami League. Jahangir is widely recognised in the Kamrangirchar, Hazaribagh, and Dhanmondi areas as Taposh’s closest aide and treasurer.
Even BWDB land seized, DSCC plans stalled
Investigations revealed that, beyond private properties, Matador Group has also seized land belonging to the Bangladesh Water Development Board. The company has reportedly taken control of parts of the old Buriganga channel in Kamrangirchar, establishing a park and a ballpoint pen factory on the occupied land.
While the DSCC has carried out eviction drives in other areas of the old Buriganga channel against illegal infrastructures, no action has been taken against Matador Group’s structures, allegedly due to the group's close ties with Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh.
In fact, the DSCC has been unable to implement its development plans for the channel, reportedly due to Matador Group’s interference. Locals have further alleged that Hindu-owned property is also part of the land occupied by the company’s park.
Voices shut, uprising after years of fear
Victims claim that Matador Group has developed parks, housing projects, and various industrial facilities on the seized lands. To maintain control over these properties, Advocate Md Shah Alam and his son Md Jahangir Alam are alleged to have employed hundreds of criminal cadres across the Hazaribagh and Kamrangirchar areas.
Residents say that, for years, they were too afraid to speak out due to the influence of these enforcers.
However, following the fall of the Awami League government, hundreds of residents have begun protesting against Matador’s alleged oppression. Despite this, victims allege that Md Shah Alam and his son continue to use their financial power to intimidate people through hired thugs.
This correspondent spoke with at least 50 residents of Hazaribagh, including Mahbub Hossain, Moniruddin and Haji Alimuddin, all of whom shared similar accounts of land grabbing. Even some individuals who were previously paid to guard Matador’s properties have now joined the protests.
One of them, Ainal Haque from Kalunagar Ward, shared his experience, saying, “Matador seizes people's land under the cover of darkness. I have worked countless nights for them, helping them grab other people’s land. I have made Matador rich, but I will not do it anymore. I want justice against Matador.”
Another worker, Mahbub Hossain, said, “Advocate Md Shah Alam has made countless people destitute by taking over their land. After grabbing their property, he even sends the victims to jail. The people of Hazaribagh are fed up with Matador’s oppression.”
Murder, trafficking rampant amid land grabs
On September 21, when this correspondent, along with several other journalists, visited Hazaribagh to investigate the alleged land grabs by Advocate Md Shah Alam, they were harassed by armed thugs associated with Matador Group. The attack was reportedly led by two known criminals in the area, Haji Ripon and Mahtab.
According to locals, both Haji Ripon and Mahtab are implicated in various crimes in Hazaribagh, including murder and drug trafficking, all of which are tied to Matador Group. Their names have surfaced in connection with several murders in the area, allegedly linked to disputes over land.
Residents also claimed that Matador Group's enforcers recently killed a young man named Kaiyum for protesting against their land seizures.
Locals further alleged that Matador Group was involved in the murder of Montu Miah, a journalist for the newspaper Shirsho Oporadh, after he reported on their illegal land grabs. Despite these serious accusations, none of Matador’s associates have been named in any cases filed at Hazaribagh Police Station, reportedly due to their significant financial influence.
In response to these allegations, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Hazaribagh Police Station, Muhammad Saiful Islam, acknowledged, “There are many complaints against Matador, but no cases of land grabbing have been registered in our station. However, there are multiple general diaries concerning death threats related to Matador."
He added, "If anyone wishes to file a case against Matador, we will certainly accept it."
Clever strategy of possessing lands
Further investigations revealed that Matador Group targets properties with multiple heirs, purchasing a portion from one heir before filling the entire land with sand and taking possession. One such victim is Haji Aminul Islam Babu, a resident of Hazaribagh.
According to documents analysed by The Business Post, Aminul Islam Babu's family owns 126 kathas of land in the Kalunagar mouza area, inherited from his three grandfathers. Advocate Md Shah Alam had initially made an agreement to purchase 42 decimals of land from two of Aminul’s cousins, Nasrullah and Waliullah, descendants of his eldest grandfather Mohammad Hossain.
However, Matador Group went on to occupy 42 kathas of land belonging to Aminul himself. Advocate Md Shah Alam has since established a park on the property, where he reportedly raises deer.
Aminul Islam Babu, now embroiled in a lengthy legal battle to reclaim his land, expressed his frustration to The Business Post, “My cousins had agreed to sell their share, but Matador filled my land with sand and built boundary walls around it as well. When I protested, they sent thugs to beat me up. I have filed a case, but I am still receiving threats in court.”
Similarly, Matador Group seized 50 kathas of land in Kalunagar mouza from another individual, Mushfiqur Haque. Haque explained that his father, Ziaul Haque, purchased the land in 2013. Matador Group owned an adjacent plot, and in 2023 they began filling their land with sand.
During this process, they also encroached on Mushfiqur's property, covering it with sand and fencing it off overnight with barbed wire.
Mushfiqur Haque further explained that he has been continuously harassed while seeking help from the police, with no resolution in sight. “I have been running around to the police station but to no avail. Advocate Md Shah Alam has been using Taposh’s influence to torment the people in this area for years. I am now preparing to file a case against him,” Haque said.
In addition to Mushfiqur’s case, Matador Group has also allegedly taken possession of land from several other residents in the Hazaribagh and Kalunagar mouza areas, including 7 kathas from Shamsher Ali, 14 kathas from Nurjahan Begum, 5 kathas from Rintu, 4 kathas from Moyzuddin, and 50 kathas from a man named Pappu.
According to local accounts, Matador Group has illegally occupied properties belonging to at least 25 to 30 people in the area over the past 15 years.
Pappu, showing The Business Post his seized land, said, “Matador Group has left me destitute. They grabbed my land and then filed false cases against me, leading to my imprisonment. For the last seven to eight years, I have approached the police, journalists and others for help but received none. Now, I am also planning to file a case against Shah Alam.”
Forging heirs, documents and bribes
Victims further allege that Matador Group frequently manipulates inheritance claims by presenting false heirs at the land office, bribing officials to produce fraudulent documents.
After taking possession of the land, they reportedly construct barbed wire fences overnight and, in some cases, initially build mosques to solidify their control.
In Kalunagar mouza, after seizing Haji Aminul Islam’s land, Matador Group erected a tin-roof mosque, which was recently demolished by the group. A local youth working for Matador said, "The mosque is not needed for now, but it will be rebuilt in the future."
Efforts to reach Advocate Md Shah Alam, the chairman of Matador Group, for comment were unsuccessful.
However, the group’s manager, SM Ariful Islam, later contacted this reporter. He acknowledged that several people had filed court cases against Matador Group over land disputes and said, "We will abide by whatever decision the court makes."
