My daughter and I were taking our regular stroll in the President Shahabuddin Park (Gulshan) last Thursday (May 15) when we noticed a commotion involving the police, Sir Frank Peters, and an alleged mugger. Curiosity took the better of us, so we stopped, listened in, and took some pictures.
Apparently earlier Rajowl, a friend of Sir Frank’s, had been sitting on a park bench when he was approached by one of three youths and told to go to the park bench opposite where two youths were sitting, as they wanted to talk to him.
Rajowl asked why he should do that and the youth said they would beat him up if he didn’t. Rajowl refused and one of the two youths shouted across and ordered him to go over, or he would knife him. Rajowl again refused.
The youths made their exit as Sir Frank approached and Rajowl explained what had just happened. During a walk in the park, they came across the youths again and notified the police who apprehended and questioned the alleged mugger.
The youth pleaded for forgiveness, but Sir Frank replied, “For all I know you could have mugged or threatened 100 innocent victims before we arrived” and left the matter for police jurisdiction.
Before leaving, Sir Frank shook hands and thanked each of the four police officers for their positive, speedy response.
As a regular user of the park, I would like to express sincere thanks to Sir Frank and Rajowl on behalf of all President Shahabuddin Park users for their efforts to make it a safe environment for all families to visit.
Gulshan, Dhaka
