Criminal, robbery gangs reckless in Dhaka

There has been a sudden increase in various criminal activities including robberies, thefts and other crimes in different areas of the capital. The situation has deteriorated to such an extent that robberies and thefts are happening every day.

Police sources said only a handful of victims of these incidents are reporting to the police stations. Therefore, most of the robberies are not being recorded in the police's crime statistics.

Visiting different spots in the capital, it was found that the criminals take control of the roads as the night falls. In Dhaka, 30 to 40 places are considered as crime spots. Floating drug addicts start taking up positions in these spots since evening. They are the ones who are robbing pedestrians of money, phones and other valuables to collect money for drugs. Besides, the activities of Malam parties and fraudsters have also increased.

Several victims alleged that as soon as the alleys of the capital's neighbourhoods become a little quiet after 10pm, pedestrians fall into the hands of robbers. The miscreants rob valuables threatening the city dwellers with weapons. These incidents have created panic among the common people.

The victims believe that robberies have increased due to the decrease in police patrols at night.

Asked to comment on the matter, the police refused to speak to the media.

According to police, four people have been killed in the capital by robbers in the last three months as they tried to resist the criminals.

Recently, Views Bangladesh spoke with a police team patrolling in front of AMZ Hospital at North Badda at midnight. An ASI leading the team, who asked not to be named, said, "The fear of the police being attacked in July-August while carrying out government orders has not subsided yet. We have been pitted against the people. As a result, we do not want to get into any new trouble."

He said, “The attacks on police during the July-August uprising have not even been tried. On the contrary, those who attacked have been given immunity. In this situation, no one will work to maintain law and order at the risk of their lives. That is why crime is increasing.”

Meanwhile, robberies have increased in different areas of the capital. There are reports of robberies in houses and businesses in some areas including Mohammadpur and Uttara.

Mohammadpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Ali Iftekhar Hasan said, “Mohammadpur is one of the crime-prone areas of the capital. Due to manpower shortage, the police are unable to patrol properly.”

It has been learnt that traders are being forced to close their shops in the evening due to fear of robberies and thefts. A shop was robbed in the capital's Shahjadpur area in mid-November. A gold trader named Kamal Ahmed was threatened in Banasree recently. He has been keeping his shop closed for about a month and a half out of fear.

Along with this, the number of murders has also increased. In September and October, 68 people were murdered in Dhaka. Out of these, 10 were murdered in Mohammadpur alone.

Several police officials said t after the interim government took power, there has been a massive reshuffle at the field level of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Now, a large part of the police of Dhaka’s police stations are from outside Dhaka. They still do not know the different alleys of the capital properly. They have not been able to establish sources (informants) yet. Therefore, it is necessary to speed up the process of bringing the law and order situation under control.

In this situation, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Baharul Alam has ordered all police units to intensify the ongoing special operations against terrorism, robbery, extortion, drugs, juvenile gangs, and traffic law violators.

He told the media that efforts are ongoing to maintain the law and order situation and prevent the crime trend from increasing.