Masked men on empty roads worry shopowners
Empty streets and people everywhere walking around in masks have made business owners in the capital weary, as a number of recent reports suggest that some criminals are looking at the countrywide shutdown as an opportunity.
Half past midnight on Wednesday, a pickup van stopped in front of Billal Pharmacy at College Gate in Mohammadpur. Three youths wearing masks got down from the pickup and entered the pharmacy, and pulled out knives and machete, as seen on the CCTV footage.
While the employees took shelter in the backroom of the shop, the masked youths swiftly cleaned out the cash register and took away cell phones before vanishing into the night.
On March 28 around 2am, a group of robbers took away 40 tola of gold and valuables after breaking the grille of a four-storied building in Green Road area of the capital, claimed victims.
While visiting the capital's Wari, Narinda, Ray Shaheb Bazar, Laxmibazar and Motijheel areas on Friday evening, this newspaper found most grocery shops closed within 8pm. Some medicine shops were found open but they also locked collapsible gates from inside in fear of being robbed.
"Who will ensure our security when no one around? The robber will disappear from the spot before police comes with support. So we are now operating businesses closing the collapsible gate; we hand over medicine to customers from inside," Mahmudul Hasan, a staff of Khan Medical Shop in Narinda, told The Daily Star.
Shopkeepers in the capital's Mirpur and Mohammadpur area were also requested by law enforcers to close their shops within 8pm for the sake of security, according to sources.
Not only business entities, but security guards of ATM booths are also feeling the lack of security.
Abdul Gani, a security guard of an ATM booth in Jatrabari, said, "Yes, there is fear of coronavirus. Different kinds of people come here. But what I'm more concerned about is security."
"If robbers attack, it would be difficult for me to resist. I have no weapon," Gani told this newspaper last week.
However, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Shafiqul Islam said there was nothing to worry about, as regular police patrolling was continuing.
"There is no one on the streets, as we are not allowing anyone to move around unless it's urgent," he told The Daily Star recently.
A deputy commissioner-ranked official of DMP headquarters, seeking anonymity, said they are witnessing a change in crime patterns in the city over the last seven days, but it was not reflected properly in their monthly data, as the shutdown began after March 25.
"If the situation continues in April, then we would able to give a complete picture," he added.
There are 50 police stations in Dhaka, and only 12 to 14 people are now being arrested and produced at courts every day, on charges of various crimes, mostly for their alleged involvement in theft or domestic violence, court sources said.
According to court police officials, just seven days back, police used to produce around 150 to 200 accused at the courts for hearing on a daily basis.
"Presently, we are getting some complaints about woman and child repression and petty crimes like theft in residential houses and shops," Mahbub Alam, joint commissioner of detective branch (DB) of DMP, told The Daily Star on Thursday.
Between March 27 and April 2, DMP arrested 76 people for carrying or selling narcotics in Dhaka, and 55 cases were filed against them.
Mahmuda Afroz Lucky, additional deputy commissioner of Darussalam zone, said mugging and dope gang activities have declined in the city as people are not coming out of their homes, but there were some incidents of domestic violence and theft in residential houses and shops.
On March 31, a home ministry coordination cell in a directive instructed Bangladesh Police to take necessary steps to stop theft, robbery and mugging during the countrywide shutdown.
Comments