Joynal Abedin Khan :At least 250 active members of 22-organised gang of muggers have become active ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, defying the warning of the law enforcers. The serial incidents of snatching have panicked the residents of the city and its adjacent areas. At least 15 mugging incidents took place in the capital in last two weeks and over 35 snatchers were arrested, police sources said. Many pedestrians and bkash agents lost their money, gold ornaments, mobile phone sets and other valuables, they said.At least six members of a mugging gang were nabbed by police from Ashulia on the outskirt of the capital on Tuesday on charge of attempt to snatch money from some passengers of a micro bus, said Mostafa Kamal, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Ashulia Police Station.Police recovered a foreign-made pistol, three machetes and Tk one lakh in cash from their possession, the OC said.Meanwhile, police also picked up five snatchers from EPZ area at Ashulia in the small hours of the day, the police official said. On Monday, the members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested 10 muggers from the capital’s New Elephant Road. They also seized a pistol, two magazines, 16 rounds of bullets, two swords and machete, said RAB-3 Operation Officer Arafat Hossain.At least Tk fifty two thousand were snatched from two businessmen at Hatkhola, Wari on Monday. The victim businessmen were identified as Zakir Hosaain, 35, and Isarfil Mia, 38, said Shariful Islam, Sub-Inspector (SI) of Wari Police Station. At Mirpur, RAB arrested three alleged robbers from Pallabi on September 8 in connection with snatching goods from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. In the meantime, muggers snatched away Tk one lakh by shooting a bkash agent in the city’s Lalbagh on September 7. The victim was identified as Hasan Billah. At Shyampur, miscreants shot a small businessman and snatched away Tk five lakh from him on September 6. The victim was identified as Kamaruzzaman Suman.At Tikatoli, an alleged mugger has been killed in police firing while fleeing after snatching money from a pedestrian at Tikatuli. The deceased was identified as Akash Ferdous, 30, of Dakkhin Keraniganj, said Tapan Chandra Saha, OC of Wari Police Station. At Saidabad, at least three persons, including a police couple, were injured when a gang of muggers hacked them with sharp machetes near Sayedabad Bridge area on September 10.The victims are Mobarak Hossain, 32, his wife Sumi Akhter, 25, and Rashed, a student of Dhaka College, said Aboni Sankar, OC of Jatrabari Police Station.At Sabujbag, a truck driver succumbed to his injures at DMCH. The victim has been identified as Jasim Uddin, 35.A journalist was injured when a gang of muggers attacked him at Adabar on September 3. The victim was identified as Sabbir Ahmed, 24, work with ATN News.Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia has directed police officials to take necessary steps to ensure security ahead of the second biggest religious festival of the Muslims.”Special attention would be given to the cattle markets, where large money transactions will take place,” the police official said. The DMP chief has also directed his officials to identify and take action against muggers, snatchers, pickpockets, and sedative gangs.
