Dhaka city seems to be turning into a safe haven for criminals in winter. With the rise in crimes like robbery and mugging, the law and order situation in the capital has hit the rock bottom during this season much to the concern of the city dwellers.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested 33 members of an organised robber gang from the capital in last one month and recovered sharp weapons from their possession.
Most of the check posts under 50 police station areas are seen empty from midnight to sun set. Members of this robber gang take the chance of empty check posts and lack of security surveillance system, according to a high official of police preferring anonymity.
According to police, multiple such robber gangs are active in these "grey areas" of Dhaka, Savar, Tangail and Gazipur. They rent out buses and take up passengers, only to rob them while moving through the empty roads.
On January 20, robbers tied Dr Shafiqul Islam's hands, legs and blindfolded him after he boarded the bus from Dhaka's Abdullahpur for Tangail.
They tortured him and robbed around Tk 2.50 lakh from him.
The issue came to light recently after a physician -- who was robbed off on a Dhaka-Rajshahi-Chapainawabganj bus -- took to social media to share his eight-hour ordeal and lack of cooperation from police triggering much criticism.
He alleged that Uttara West and Jatrabari police stations tried to pass on responsibility and denied to record any case.
Dr Shafiqul, resident physician at a Tangail hospital, finally filed a case with Uttara West Police Station against 8-10 unnamed persons.
On Jan 23, two Indian students studying at Dr Sirajul Islam Medical College Hospital - Shaheel Ahmed and Asif Iqbal - arrived in front of the Grameen Check Showroom from their hostel in Moghbazar, on their way to India for a two-week break. A white car stopped in front of them and four men wearing masks got off.
"Two of them held knives to the victims' throats while the other two snatched a trolley bag, a handbag, a laptop, two mobile phones, about 57,000 Indian Rupees, Tk 7,600 in cash and other belongings," said police official Mahbub Alam.
Police have arrested seven robbers who were caught in possession of luggage belonging to two Indian students studying in Bangladesh. The arrestees confessed their involvement in the robbery during an initial interrogation, according to police.
According to police records, 168 cases of mugging and robberies were filed under 50 police stations in Dhaka metropolitan police in last year. Of them 26, cases were for robberies and 145 for mugging.
However, the actual figure of mugging and hijacking will be much higher than the police records, and only a very few cases are recorded in police stations, sources said.
They said most of the victims are reluctant to go to the police stations fearing harassment. On many occasions, the police themselves discourage the victims to file complaints with them, added the sources.
Every day police record general diaries (GDs) for small incidents like snatching of mobile sets and small amount of cash due to the pressure of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) headquarters.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Mohammad Shafiqul Islam has instructed on last Sunday during monthly crime related meeting at Rajarbagh the officials concerned to set up check posts, police patrolling and beef up security surveillance system at night.
