Alerted by the gunfire, Dhaka Metropolitan Police detective Rabiul Karim and officer-in-charge Salauddin Khan started to investigate.

[6][7] DMP Commissioner, Asaduzzaman Mia, and several officers struck inside and opened fire on the militants in an attempt to rescue civilians from the site.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was briefed by the Commissioner and she instructed him to move away with his men and informed him the Army Chief Belal Shafiul Huq was on his way from Sylhet.

SWAT is operated under the Special Action Group of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

Bangladesh Narcotics Control Department reported that as many as 100,000 people were engaged in drug trafficking, of whom 40 percent were women.

[19] Currently, there are roughly 2,000 women officers in Bangladesh Police - less than two percent of the total force and one-third of whom are deployed in Dhaka.

[17][19] An Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Dhaka SWPC who leads a detective force of 24 women officers.