Dhaka: Authorities in Bangladesh say they've arrested 27 men on suspicion of being gay, a criminal offense in the Muslim-majority country.
The commander of the Rapid Action Battalion, an elite police unit that made the arrests, says the suspects aged 20-30 years had traveled from across the country and were picked up in a raid on a community center at Keraniganj, outside the nation's capital, early Friday.
Zahangir Hossain Matobbar says police recovered illegal drugs and condoms in their possession. He says the suspects may not face charges of homosexuality because they were detained before they engaged in such activities but they will face charges of drug possession.
Last year, suspected Islamist militants killed a leading LGBT activist and his friend in Dhaka.
