Bangladesh state minister Ishraque Hossain sparked an online debate and police scrutiny after a viral video showed him personally conducting an armed drug raid in Dhaka, where he detained six suspects and handed them over to local authorities.

Bangladesh state minister Ishraque Hossain sparked an online debate and police scrutiny after a viral video showed him personally conducting an armed drug raid in Dhaka, where he detained six suspects and handed them over to local authorities.

Bangladesh state minister Ishraque Hossain sparked an online debate and police scrutiny after a viral video showed him personally conducting an armed drug raid in Dhaka, where he detained six suspects and handed them over to local authorities.

A Bangladesh minister went viral on social media after he carried out a drug raid himself, armed with a pistol and a megaphone.

State minister for liberation war affairs Ishraque Hossain uploaded a video on social media on Saturday where he was seen stepping out of a vehicle with a megaphone in one hand and a pistol in another before chasing a group of people.

In the clip, he is heard saying You are ruining the entire town, destroying an entire area.”  At one point, he appears to pull back the pistol's slide, point the weapon towards the group and shout, “Hey, stop, stop.”

The video triggered an online debate about the legality of his actions.

A police official said that the minister did not inform them about the raid beforehand. The minister and his associates detained around 10 people and handed them over to the local police station, according to Dhaka metropolitan police additional deputy commissioner Masud Rana.

Gendaria Police Station In-charge Moniruzzaman Monir said that they found a white powder like substance from the arrested people. They said they will confirm the nature of the substance after laboratory testing.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police said they will take legal action against the minister if they find there was any violation of the law.

Additional Police Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam said it was too early to comment on the incident. The police declined to comment when reporters asked whether a minister could perform duties similar to a police officer.

Isharaque vowed to continue his anti-drug activities until Dhaka 6 became drug-free in a separate Facebook post on Saturday.

Hossein, 39, is the youngest ministerial officeholder in Bangladesh and has been incumbent since early 2026.

The minister said that he had collected information about the drug dealer for the past six months before the raids. He also defended his raids and said that he briefly raised his firearm in 'self-defence' during the incident.      

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