Criminals freed on bail begin same activities ad infinitum

 
For some of notorious criminals in the country, arrest and imprisonment have failed to bring an end to their alleged criminal activities. Instead, a recurring cycle has emerged: arrest, detention, release on bail and, in some cases, a return to crime.

The pattern, involving alleged gang leaders, extortionists, muggers and drug dealers, is exposing serious weaknesses in the country's criminal justice and law enforcement systems.

According to police headquarters  around 70,000 suspects are arrested across the country every month, while nearly the same numbers of prisoners are released. Between May 1 and August 26 this year alone, police arrested 195,146 people.

Former police officials point to a combination of institutional weaknesses, including outdated criminal databases, inadequate surveillance and poor coordination between police stations and prison authorities. Without a reliable system to track released suspects, they say, offenders can slip back into criminal networks with little scrutiny.

The problem is particularly visible among criminals whose names have appeared on law enforcement watchlists for years. Several individuals included in the government's 2001 list of 23 top criminals, including Subrata Bain, Emon, Freedom Rasu and Sweden Aslam, secured bail after August 5, 2024. Some have subsequently faced allegations involving murder, extortion and tender manipulation.

Their cases have renewed concerns about whether law enforcement agencies have effective mechanisms to monitor high-risk individuals after their release.

The problem extends beyond organised crime. Drug-related cases also reveal a pattern of repeated arrests involving the same suspects.

On July 24, police arrested Masuma Parvin Shimu in Chattogram. She faces at least five cases, including allegations of drug trafficking and human trafficking, and had reportedly been arrested several times before.

In Manikganj, four alleged drug dealers arrested in January had previously faced arrests over similar allegations. In Mymensingh, police arrested another suspect for the sixth time on similar allegations on August 27.

These cases raise questions about why repeated arrests have not necessarily disrupted the activities of some alleged offenders.

One mechanism police officials identify as important is the prison parade, through which law enforcement agencies can identify notorious criminals, gather intelligence about networks operating inside and outside prisons and obtain information about inmates' pending cases and release dates.

The process could also help police prepare for the release of high-risk inmates and coordinate surveillance after they secure bail.

Police had previously planned to establish a central monitoring cell, with branches in every district, to oversee released criminals and repeat offenders. But the initiative was never fully implemented, according to sources familiar with the plan.

The absence of such a coordinated mechanism has left questions about who is responsible for tracking suspects after their release and how information about repeat offenders is shared between police stations and other units.