Crimes on rise in city

Joynal Abedin Khan :There has been an alarming rise of incidents like killings, extortion, snatching, robbery and other criminal activities in the city in recent times while the law enforcing agencies failed to take any significant action in arresting the culprits.The city dwellers have been experiencing lawlessness and insecurity following the recent incidents of killings of at least nine persons, twenty two-snatching, thirteen-robbery and four-missing, while many more such cases remained unreported with the police stations in the metropolis. As reported, the main targets of the incidents are businessmen, bKash agents, banks depositors, politicians and CNG-drivers. In two separate incidents in Jatrabari area, a gang of miscreants shot dead an owner of a bKash agent and snatched away Tk 3 lakh from Dhalpur early Sunday, while another group of unidentified criminals looted Tk 12 lakh from also a bKash agent in the same area last night. Earlier on Thursday night, a gang of unidentified miscreants shot a trader dead, injured his father and took away different currencies worth about Tk 48 lakh from their possession in the city’s Khilgaon area. Police could not arrest anybody, so far, and failed to identify the ‘criminals’ involved in the incident. Meanwhile, the law-enforcers also failed to make any headway in the murder of Maulana Nurul Islam Farooqi, a TV presenter who was killed by unknown assailants in his house at East Razabazar in the city on august 27. Even, the law enforcers are yet to ascertain the motives behind the killing.On August 28, a group of up to 21 assailants gunned down three people and injured another at a house at Sonalibagh, Moghbazar. Police are yet to arrest the prime accused Kailla Babu. “The criminals are now more organised than ever. They are creative through with their plans, vehicles, in picking the spots and the times,’ said a senior DMP official. While the criminals with low capital use motorbikes or even CNG-run three wheelers, those with more experience use cars to block traffic, lock onto a particular target, carry out the operation and speed off very easily. The entire incident takes just two to three minutes, Detective Branch (DB) sources said.The sources said, around four to five incidents are occurring daily in the city, from which one to two incidents end up with deaths.Soma Rani, a resident of the city’s Dhanmodi area, told The New Nation yesterday that we are feeling insecure due to the recent rise in killing incidents and other criminal activities in the city. “These are the clear indications of deteriorating law and order”, she said.”Police have miserably failed to ensure security of the city dwellers,” Soma alleged, adding that “The current deterioration of law and order has undermined public trust on the law enforcing agencies,” she added.Esmotara Begum, a resident of Gulshan area, said, “Insecurity is growing gradually in the city but no effective step is visible from the side of authorities to control the situation.”Badsha Mia, a resident of Jatrabari, said that being taxpayers of the country they expect security from the law enforcing agencies and they must ensure it by improving the situation immediately. Meanwhile, it was reported that a section of police officers are allegedly busy satisfying political bigwigs. Amid a slack in Rapid Action Battalion’s duty, offenders are getting encouraged. RAB’s inaction after Narayanganj incident has encouraged the criminals to commit crimes which results in more criminal acts, police sources said.At least twenty five high profile police officials, including Assistant Commissioners (ACs) and Officer-in charge (OCs) confessed that the killing, snatching, missing and robbery incidents have increased in the city comparatively in the last four months. The statistics available also present a grim picture. DMP had a list of around 900 muggers and extortionists in Dhaka city in June of this year. However, the DMP arrested only 200 criminals over the past two months and most of them are teenagers, police sources said.Deputy Commissioner (Media) Masudur Rahman told the reporters that the DMP has beefed up security measures in the city after the recent incidents to ensure security of the city dwellers.The DC, however, agreed that the incidents of criminal activities have increased. But he said regular drives are being carried out to arrest the criminals.