Police in Cumilla have detained 254 people in simultaneous raids carried out from Saturday night to Sunday dawn across Cumilla City Corporation and the district’s 18 upazilas, with senior district police officials taking part.

Police Superintendent Md Asaduzzaman confirmed the arrests on Sunday morning. He said legal action would be taken against any of the 254 if evidence was found of their involvement in crimes, while those against whom no evidence was found would be released.

The superintendent added that raids were also conducted at teenagers’ hangout spots, though police have not yet said how many of the 254 detained are teenagers.

Among those detained were four active members of the teenage gangs Ratan Group and R Squad in Cumilla city. One of them, Anisur Rahman alias Anik, 19, is known as the second-in-command of Ratan Group.

Anik is the son of Abul Kashem of Chhotora Mofizabad Colony and the nephew of Ratan Group chief Imran Hossain alias Ratan, who is in hiding. Police said Anik has been running the group’s activities in his uncle’s absence.

Kotwali Police Station OC Tauhidul Anwar said 37 people were detained in overnight raids in the city corporation area, four of them directly linked to teenage gangs. All four were active members of Ratan Group.

The operation follows the murder of Oprotim, son of Comilla University Associate Professor Dr Nahida Begum. Information emerged that the four people arrested in the case had links to teenage gangs, after which discussion of teenage gangs began in the district and police launched operations to detain members of various teenage gangs.

On Wednesday night, police detained 624 suspected teenagers in similar raids against teenage gangs across the district’s 18 police stations. Of them, 451 were released into their guardians’ custody while the remaining 173 were shown as arrested in drug-related and other cases before being sent to jail through court proceedings.

Police said the operations also led to the arrest of 22 drug traders and 74 drug users, with 167 others arrested in various cases. Officers seized 185 kg of cannabis, 339 yaba tablets and 72 bottles of Eskuf syrup.