The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has detained 84 people, including 58 young men and 26 young women, and seized a large quantity of drugs during an anti-narcotics raid on a house rented out by Additional Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abdullah Al Zahir in the capital’s Bashundhara Residential Area.

The raid began on Monday night at a two-and-a-half-storey building beside a police outpost in POHS-1 Housing under Vatara Police Station and continued until Tuesday noon.

DMP Additional Commissioner (Detective) Shafiqul Islam said police officer Abdullah Al Zahir had rented out the house, where drug consumption and illegal DJ parties had allegedly been taking place for a long time.

A large quantity of liquor, synthetic drugs, shisha and beer was seized during the operation, he said.

Ilias Kabir, deputy commissioner of DMP’s Uttara Division, said rooms in the house were rented out through Airbnb, an online accommodation-booking platform. Young men and women from different parts of the country booked rooms online to attend the parties.

According to Kabir, Additional DIG Abdullah Al Zahir received 70 per cent of the income generated from the parties, while his staff received the remaining 30 per cent.

He added that the house had two hosts who organised the parties. One of them, identified as Mahabul Alam, was detained during the raid.

Additional DIG Abdullah Al Zahir is currently posted at the Maintenance and Repair Division of the Police Headquarters.

He was contacted several times over the raid at the house, but did not answer his phone.