Masquerading as DB members

That a businessman and his relative were picked up in the early hours of November 29 by a criminal gang masquerading as Detective Branch (DB) personnel is a disturbing development. We are informed by a report printed in this paper that a microbus with 'tinted' windows was used and there were eight gang members in the vehicle. This vehicle apparently roamed the streets from 1am till 5am when the two were let go after being robbed of all their possessions near Uttara.

The incident raises a number of questions. Given the heightened security alert in the city, how could this vehicle with tinted glass roam around for four hours in the dead of night? With so many police and security check points in the city, didn't its presence raise any questions among the several law enforcement agencies deployed in the city? Such an incident is not the first of its kind in the city. At different times, various gangs have been busted for impersonating one agency or another, but seldom have we heard of any follow-up on these cases.

This lax oversight on the part of those entrusted with our security has only encouraged criminals to pose as DB personnel to do what they do. It is only in the interests of DB itself that the agency should conduct a thorough investigation and bring to book those who are giving the agency a bad name. City residents too will breathe a little easier if they know that the next nondescript vehicle coming their way belongs to law enforcers and not criminals.