Rafiq Rafi :
To greet people by giving ‘salam’ is a common etiquette in Muslim majority Bangladesh. But it has now become a way of snatching people.
It is, nowadays, a fancy way of snatching people in the capital Dhaka. There are five active snatcher gangs called Salam party roaming the city to the horror of the city dwellers. They were robbing passengers by giving salam.
In the early morning or night, a group of snatchers target people for quite some time, sensing people have money, mobile phone or other costly items with them. Their target might be moving on the streets of Dhaka on a rickshaw or walking on footpath. Suddenly snatchers greet them saying Assalamu alaikum (peace be upon you). How are you, brother? Listening to this, a man may stop for a while. By this time of bewildering people with greetings, the snatchers rob the man with all his expensive belongings at their convenience of time and location.
Recently, some groups of snatchers have been active in the capital under a unique banner “Salaam Party.” Police learned, and admitted the existence of the Salaam Party, active violently in the city, after a team of Bangshal Police Station arrested nine members of two snatcher gangs and interrogated them.
According to police, the party has five gangs operating in different places of the city with a separate leader for each and each gang has eight to 10 members including woman. Gang members roam in groups, by rickshaw, in search of passengers who also move by the three-wheeled vehicles.
When they find a target, they start following him or her. They intercept the passenger’s rickshaw at a convenient place for them and say salaam to the victim. One of them starts playing the rickshaw-puller and quarrels with the passenger over fare so that people around do not realise what is really happening. In the midst of the uproar, others threaten the passenger with fake pistols and take away his or her costly items. Afterwards, they immediately flee the spot. The woman member of the gang provides information to other members of the circle by building relationships with the victims.
Recently, a gang of Salam party robbed 4 lacs taka from one Enayet Ullah who works as an office bearer in the PID Department of the Home Ministry.
He said, I borrowed 4 lakh taka from my friend Selim to marry my daughter. I left home to pay the money back. When I reached Bangshal by Ricshaw, some unknown people robbed the money by stopping rickshaw. I filed a case regarding the matter. Bangshal thana police arrested one man named Md Jahangir Ali for connecting with the robbery, investigation officer of the case, Sub Inspector Md Rashidul Hasan said to the New Nation. After interrogation, Jahangir admitted his guilt, told about the Salam Party and he gave a confessional statement under section 164 in the court, Sub Inspector Md Rashidul Hasan added. Officials said, Billal is the main leader of the gang of ‘salaam party’. After robbing, member of the gang sent money to the gang leader. We were trying to arrest the remaining members of the ring, the investigation officer added.
Shahin Fakir, officer-in-charge (OC) of Bangshal Police Station, told The New Nation that five ringleaders are running the so-called Salaam Party in the capital, and every gang has five to 10 members. Recently police arrested nine members of the gang. Members of these gangs are active in Sadarghat, North-South Road, Babu Bazar Bridge, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Rampura, Badda, Kamalapur, and Gulshan Link Road, said the police officer.
Recently, police arrested a ringleader named Palash and other nine members. According to sources, Palash revealed four other names to the police – Nasir, Shahid, Shohag, and Porash – who are running their individual gangs in different parts of the city. These snatcher groups are very cunning, according to police. OC Shahin Fakir said, the gang members do not use sharp weapons as they know about the country’s law related to the use of sharp weapons. “They know it will be easier to obtain bail from the court if they are arrested while stealing without using sharp weapons,” he explained.
