Most of highway CCTV cameras stolen, criminal offences on rise

Recent incidents of robbery on buses along the Dhaka-Aricha highway have once again exposed the vulnerabilities of law enforcement in the area. Despite setting up check-posts and conducting special drives, the police have failed to contain robberies and muggings. Criminals continue to hold passengers at gunpoint, robbing them and even sexually harassing female passengers—sometimes in broad daylight, not just under cover of night.

Why is the police failing to prevent these crimes? A Views Bangladesh investigation has revealed several tactics used by the robbers to evade the police. According to law enforcement, 121 CCTV cameras were once installed along the 38-kilometer stretch of the Dhaka-Aricha and Nabinagar-Chandra highways. Of those, only 31 remain operational. It has been discovered that most of the remaining 90 cameras have been stolen by miscreants, while the rest are either broken or out of order.

Criminal gangs are taking advantage of this gap in surveillance. Two police officers told Viewz Bangladesh that the gangs operate in small groups, surveying the area to locate CCTV cameras and police check-posts. They also gather intelligence on the number of officers stationed at each check-post. The gangs plan escape routes that bypass police observation. A few gang members then board buses posing as passengers and carry out quick heists.

Within just five to ten minutes, they rob the passengers and escape at pre-determined locations. According to the police, when the CCTV system was fully functional, these criminals could be easily monitored and identified. Now, the lack of footage is making it significantly harder to identify and apprehend them. The police are having to go through a complex process to track down the culprits, which delays arrests.

Police sources say that the remaining functional CCTV cameras are insufficient to ensure the security of the entire area. At least 90 cameras need to be reinstalled to restore proper monitoring. A field visit to the highway revealed that areas such as C&B, Radio Colony bus stand, Fulbaria, and Bank Town have no CCTV cameras. These spots are also relatively deserted, with very little foot traffic during noon and afternoon hours.

Even though police patrol teams operate near bus stands, no law enforcement presence was seen in these secluded areas. Open fields, markets, and bus stands lie within 100 feet on both sides of these roads, making it easy for criminals to flee or blend into the crowd. With no businesses nearby, there are no private CCTV cameras in these spots either—making them ideal targets for robbers.

According to intelligence and local sources, incidents of theft, mugging, and robbery have spiked in these areas since August 5. Injuries and casualties have also been reported. Police said they have arrested 16 people in connection with muggings over the past two months—7 in February and 9 in March—recovering a large cache of homemade weapons during that time.

Media reports say at least six bus robberies have occurred in the last two months. On February 14 around noon, a robbery occurred on a Shubhojatra bus traveling from Manikganj. On March 2, another robbery happened around the same time and place on a Capital Transport bus. On March 24 at 8 PM, another Shubhojatra bus bound for Manikganj was robbed near Radio Colony. On April 4, another bus operated by Itihas Paribahan was targeted in the same area. The most recent incident occurred on April 11, when passengers were held at gunpoint and robbed of jewelry, cash, and valuables.

Tayefur Rahman, a victim of the April 11 robbery, said, “Around noon, I boarded the bus from Bank Town with my wife and child, heading toward Shyamoli. Just after passing Bank Town and reaching the bridge near Police Town, 3-4 young men who were already on the bus pulled out knives and started targeting female passengers. They snatched chains and gold jewelry, including a locket and chain from my wife’s neck.”

There were 20 to 25 passengers on the bus at the time. However, the robbers did not take any phones or other devices—only targeting female passengers. At least three women on the bus were robbed of their chains. Victims later alleged they were made to wait six hours at the police station when they went to file a complaint about the midday incident.

Meanwhile, Jahangirnagar University chemistry student Jannatul Ferdous, a witness to the same April 11 incident, told Viewz Bangladesh over the phone: “I boarded the Capital Transport bus from Radio Colony in the morning to go to campus. Before the bus reached the C&B Bridge, three men—probably already on board—pulled out knives and told the driver to stop. Once it stopped, they held passengers at knifepoint, robbed them of money and jewelry, and quickly got off. I got off later at the campus dairy gate.”

She added, “There were three of them, and none wore masks. The bus was fairly crowded, but no one dared to protest. Everyone stayed silent under threat of weapons.”

Dhaka District Additional Police Superintendent (Savar Circle) Shahinur Kabir acknowledged that some incidents had occurred, though he claimed many could not be verified. “We have deployed patrol teams at various locations and are inspecting buses. Many muggers have been arrested and brought to justice,” he said.

He admitted, however, that the inability to monitor and prevent crimes on the highway has been hampered by the lack of functional CCTV cameras. “If we can reinstall enough cameras, we’ll be able to take swift action during such incidents. Criminals won’t dare to commit crimes if they know they're being watched.”