Syed Shemul Parvez :
Frequent robbery and rape incidents in passenger buses in the highways of the country are increasing in an alarming rate. Tangail’s Madhupur zone has become a hot spot for committing various crimes including robbery, looting and rape recently.
According to sources, about 10 robbery and rape incidents occurred in the Tangail’s Madhupur highways in last couple of years.
As a result, most of the women passengers are in serious panic being worried about the traveling by night coach.
Recently two incidents, one that of a girl being raped in a running bus and the other of a bus being hijacked by robbers and a passenger getting raped terrified the whole nation.
It is learnt that the highway of Tangail-Mymensingh has become a horror for passengers, especially for women passengers in the night.
Around 10km of the road in the area has forests on both sides, rendering it quiet and ghostly at night.
Insufficient police patrol and street lights have turned the place into a hotspot for criminals and made the road unsafe for passengers.
Recently, the elite force RAB members arrested 10 robbers including mastermind Raton Hossain in connection with the case of gang-rape and robbery in a running bus in Tangail. A total of 13 robbers were present in the incident.
In separate drives, RAB members arrested them from Dhaka, Gazipur and Sirajganj. The arrested members include mastermind Md Raton Hossain, Md. Alauddin, Md Sohag Mondal, Khandaker Md Hasmot Ali alias Dipu, Md Babu Hossain alias Julhas, Md Jibon, Md. Abdul Mannan, Md. Naim Sarkar, Rasel Talukder and Md Aslam Talukder alias Raihan, the RAB officer said.
According to RAB officials, mastermind Md Raton Hossain informed about the proposal to driver Raja Mia before the robbery incident. Later, he informed the other members. As per their plan, on August 2 night they collected some local arms. Raton bear the all expenditure.
On that night, the bus was carrying around 24/25 passengers. The robbers boarded the bus when it made a stopover at a hotel in Sirajganj. The robbers raped a female passenger after looting the bus.
Incidentally, on August 25, 2017, a college student was gang-raped and then killed in a running bus.
The driver, his helper and their accomplices threw victim Rupa’s body in the forest who was on her way to Mymensingh from Bogura after finishing her exams.
Three days later on August 28, police arrested Choya Transport Driver Habibur, supervisor Safar Ali and helpers Shamin, Akram and Jahangir.
A year later on February 12, a tribunal gave the death penalty to four of them and seven-years prison term to another.
On April 2, 2016, a garment worker was raped in a running bus in Tangail’s Madhupur. In that incident, the girl’s husband became the plaintiff and filed a case accusing three people. Later, police raided and arrested the bus driver and two assistants.
When asked about the frequent robbery, looting and rape incidents on the Tangail’s Madhupur highways, Commander Khandaker Al Moin told the New Nation that actually we are known about that crime zone. Why the same incidents are occurring in the same area again, does it mean the lack of justice? Khandaker Al Moin said it’s the matter of court. But we have nothing to do except arresting the criminals.
In this issue, when asked Dr. Zia Rahamn, Professor of Criminology, University of Dhaka, told the New Nation that there are many crime oriented zones in the country. Administration should mark the zones to work to reduce the crime. Truly speaking they are not doing it properly. If they set up modern devices to monitoring crimes as well as setting up police box marking the zone, crimes would be reduced, Dr. Zia added.
