Capital Dhaka’s Sayedabad Bus Terminal has become a hub of mugging as repeated snatching incidents have increased at this spot this year compared to the last year.

According to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), a total of 233 cases of dacoity and mugging were filed last year at 50 police stations under eight crime divisions of the DMP.  Of these, 199 cases of snatching and 34 cases of dacoity were registered.

Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) sources said more than 50 victims of mugging take primary treatment at the hospital’s emergency department every month. 

According to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), in separate drives, it detained 634 persons from Dhaka and adjacent areas in 2023 for their alleged involvement in mugging.    

DMP sources said it built up an information hub of criminals with “Suspect Identification and Verification System (SIVS) software last year. A total of 1,737 criminals have been listed in the information bank.

Of them, the maximum number of names of the criminals has been listed at DMP Tejgaon Division.  

Crime concerned said the number of theft, snatching and dacoity has increased this year in the capital than the previous year. Intelligence officials said the tendency of such crimes is increasing as victims show their reluctance to register cases with police stations. Maximum mugging and theft incidents are kept out of knowledge for this reason.    

Sources said three syndicates have been committing crimes for long at Jatrabari in the capital. Kana Mizan, Tukka Aziz and Lengra Iqbal are the ringleaders of these three groups. Most of the members of these three gangs are drug-addicted. They commit snatching to buy various types of drugs.

One person named Bullet Aziz looks after these three gangs. Aziz is a drug dealer. He also works as the source of Jatrabari Police Station. Bullet Aziz established his drug reign in the Dhopkhola area. Some influential and corrupt persons patronize him.

RAB-10 Commander Mohammad Farid Uddin told Bangladesh Pratidin that the elite force is also working on the issue alongside the police. The members of the law-enforcement agencies are embarrassed by this matter. Some of the criminals are underage.

Suggesting the passengers become more conscious, he also opined that it is very tough to control theft, mugging and dacoity keeping floating people in the capital.

According to the police, Uttara, Airport, Abdullapur Bus Stand, Azampur Bus Stand, Kuril Biswaroad, 300 Feet, Motijheel, Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Khilgaon, Basabo, Kamalapur, Shahbagh, Sayedabad, Gulistan, Jatrabari, and some spots of old Dhaka are the hot spots of snatching.

DMP Additional Commissioner Khandaker Mohid Uddin said, “We have arrested more than 1,000 muggers from various spots of the capital in the last year. They commit snatching repeatedly after release from jail. However, our efforts are underway. We are working to curb mugging incidents in the capital differently.”

@ The article was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on January 28, 2024 and has been rewritten in English by Golam Rosul.