Anyone can be victimized anytime – from student to businessman – in false narcotics or arms cases. Sometimes they appear in the guise of law enforcers, sometimes as police sources while sometimes the genuine members of police force come out for the showoff! Their motto is the same — looting money from general people’s pocket by implicating them in various false cases, especially arms possessing and drug dealing.
Recently, a news clip of a private television channel went viral in the social media where it was seen that a corrupt police official along with his accomplice brought false charge of drug dealing against a businessman by putting a pack of Yaba in the shop. The whole episode was recorded in a secret camera and so, it becomes talk of the town.
It sent red signal to the administrative circle when the teen-aged son of a senior assistant secretary was caught by the police for carrying drugs [forcibly putting Yaba in his pocket] in the city’s Kafrul area on January 17. Police reportedly had demanded a large sum of money for his release. Just within a week, the police demanded Taka 2.5 lakh from a businessman applying same technique at Uttara.
Not long ago, a Dhaka University Professor was harassed by police spreading some Yaba pills in his room saying that we have found `drugs’ in your possession.
This is just a tip of the iceberg. This is nothing new. There are several identical incidents. The police have been running ‘arrest business’ implicating general people in different drug cases putting Yaba, phensidyl, marijuana and others in their pockets. And all are these going on allegedly under direct patronization of a section of police officials for many days. Several fake policemen, sources and professional criminals have been arrested in the meantime. Series of reports have been published in the newspapers while television channels aired dozens of footages revealing the crimes. But nothing has changed.
The allegations are not new that often to hold one as offender of serious crime, weapons are shown to have been found in his body or where he resides.
The alarming thing is that, these types of crimes are not only occurring in the capital city Dhaka, but also taking place in different districts, even in the remote areas. Sometimes, the police were found involved in snatching, robbery and dacoity. Police in the recent times arrested several gangs of fake policemen and recovered arms, walkie-talkie, uniforms, jackets of detective branch and identity cards from their possession.
It seems the situation went beyond the control of police high-ups. We haven’t heard of taking any tough action against the criminal activities. It is certainly tarnishing the image of law enforcement agencies. No doubt, the police officials, who have been discharging their duties in high reputation, are now afraid of image crisis.
Some persons have been arrested by police who committed crimes of extorting mostly by pretending to be police or police officials.
In such situation, a symbiotic mutually beneficial relationship develops between the three: that is politicians, police and criminal elements. Criminalization of police becomes essential due to criminalization of politics. In course of time, the bonds become stronger. It becomes difficult for them to survive without the help of the other. Here, the politicians reach a particular stature and develop a clout. The corrupt politicians dictate terms to police where the criminal elements remain highly protected.
The conduct of police killing in crossfire and power to arresting anybody on mere suspicion of being terrorists are abused extensively. Trust in police must be maintained by rigorously dealing with each crime. Strict discipline must be followed. Police are law enforcers, not users of arbitrary power.
