PETTY crimes such as mugging have increased at an alarming rate in the capital in recent times as criminal gangs are desperate to make a quick buck ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr. The city dwellers are in fear and distress as muggers equipped with firearms are terrorising the city streets in their attempts to snatch valuables from shoppers and businessmen as Ramadan begins this week. The muggers usually target the unsuspecting shoppers while mobile banking agents are also among their main targets. Several incidents of mobile banking agents being shot at, stabbed and mugged have been reported by the media in recent times. Quoting police, a report carried in an English daily said at least 28 cases of mugging were lodged with different police stations in May, showing a sharp increase of such crime incidents in the city. The incidents of mugging, snatching and looting are several times more than the cases lodged in this regard with the police stations as victims often do not lodge complaints.
The incidents of snatching often turn into fatal encounters for the hapless victims as the muggers are desperate in their methods of attack — mugging cash and valuables by using firearms or by stabbing pedestrians. The snatchers attack shoppers and small traders, open fire and stabbed wayfarers to loot the valuables of the unfortunate victims. The numbers of such incidents, according to police files are 9, 13, 20, and 12 in January, February, March and April respectively. The incidents of mugging and shootings increased considerably since June when at least 20 incidents of mugging were reported in the capital. According to a criminologist of Maulana Bhashani Science and Technology University, muggers intensify their activities as festivals approach. On June 19, miscreants shot and injured a bKash agent and took away around Tk two lakh in the city’s Rampura area. On June 22, muggers snatched around Tk 12 lakh from two distributing agents of bKash in Uttara. These are a few instances among a plethora of such criminal acts that force the city dwellers to live wretched lives.
It is a very common and compulsive question why are the police not acting regularly against muggers? Police have allowed themselves to be used politically, which is professionally inexcusable. But this is the reality and we are responsible for allowing this politics to continue. There is also another cause behind the inactivity of law enforcers is a rapport between dishonest police and criminals for the gains of both.
Detective said at least 10-12 organised gangs were active in the capital. When some big amounts are transacted, the sources inform the gangs. Then the thugs intercept them and mug them. We observed in previous years that Eid shoppers were mugged while they went out for shopping by miscreants in broad daylight and some instances in front of police. Ruling party-men remained busy extorting money from businessmen.
We shall not blame the police as much as we would like to knowing police is too much under political pressure. Those police officials who still try to act independently and honestly for the people. We express hope and the people’s gratitude for trying to do their duties. We have to say that the ordinary people must not suffer in the hands of everybody.
No civilized society can live with corruption, mugging and abuse of power. Now the Ministers have no reason to feel accountable to the people for the responsibility of protecting the people from crimes and injustices. But this cannot go on. The people must show courage and resist crimes and their godfathers.
