Dr Matiur Rahman :
Snatching is happening every day in the capital city Dhaka and other major cities in Bangladesh. It has now become a growing concern for people of the lower middle class, middle class and people who come to Dhaka from other parts of the country for different purposes. Especially in Dhaka snatching is happening in every part of the city. Sometimes snatchers are killing people by taking away their money, mobile phone, credit card, debit card and other assets. A large portion of victims of snatch is becoming injured by the snatchers.
According to the newspaper report, the highest number of snatching is taking place at midnight and in the early morning. People of all walks especially the middle-middle class and the lower-middle-class people are becoming victims of snatching. Not only are that sometimes poor people also become victims of snatching. It has created now panic and fear among ordinary people. It has now become one of the most talking and frightening issues among city dwellers. Experts opined that the culture of impunity in the country is making the snatchers reckless.
Various Newspapers mentioned statistics of snatching cases filed in different police stations in the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) area. The statistics show that in Dhaka city snatching cases were filed as 145 in 2021, 176 in 2020, 155 in 2019, 216 in 2018 and 218 in 2017. According to the report published in the newspaper, in the last14 years from 2008 to 2021, 3,955 cases of snatching have been registered in Dhaka city. In the first two months of this year, 43 cases have been registered.
However, experts think that this statistics of snatching is not acceptable. Because a large portion of the victims does not go to the police station to file a snatching case for various reasons including harassment and suffering. There are allegations that the police station does not want to take up the case of snatching for various reasons. Thus, a major portion of the people who became the victim of snatching remains reluctant to file a case in the police station. But they suffered a lot physically, mentally and also economically. They have no way to express their pain and suffering.
According to experts and also police report different factors works in increasing the number of snatching. A major cause is drug addiction. People who are addicted to drugsare involved in snatching to collect the drug.
Reports say at least 90 per cent of the hijackers are drug addicts. They snatch money to buy drugs. Occasionally these snatchers are arrested but they are quickly released on bail and again involved in snatching. Local political leaders have been accused of harbouring snatchers. The report mentioned that a large portion of the hijackers gave their identity as political party workers to the police at the local police station.
Snatching is also on the rise due to social and economic inequalities. Scholars mentioned that in a capitalist society, economic exploitation leads to crime. Poverty, unemployment, economic insecurity, and deprivation force people to become criminals. Rising inequality and anomic situation are also responsible for criminal activities like snatching. During Coronavirus a large majority of people have become unemployed and poor which also leads to snatching.
Many analysts think that due to the weakness of the law arrested snatchers get back on bail easily and involve themselves in snatching activities. They pointed out the lack of justice, inefficiency and failure of police to tackle the snatching as reasons for increasing snatching. They also think that the criminals are caught repeatedly and go to jail. Due to the weakness of the case, investigation and trial process, they get out and get involved in snatching again.
The result of snatching is unknown. Because no studies were conducted on snatching. But in a general sense, we can realize that a man or woman who becomes the victim of snatching not only lost his assets but also suffered variously. He or she could be injured, and suffer from mental trauma which ultimately affects his or her family and workplace. If he or she is killed by the snatchers his whole family become helpless. Thus there is a lot of social, physical, psychological and economic impact of snatching. So, the time has come to think about this serious crime.
Now it is the month of holy Ramzan. A few days’ later people will come to Dhaka city for shopping, marketing or other purposes. Then snatchers group will be active to snatch their everything. So the law-enforcement forces should be alert from now on so that no one can become a victim of snatching. The state should ensure the security of its citizens.
(The writer is a researcher and
development worker).
