Muggers make auto journey risky

CNG-run auto-rickshaw

The passengers of CNG-run auto-rickshaws are in fear of falling prey to mugging or robbery anytime as the law enforcers can hardly ensure their safety.
The criminals are using the auto-rickshaws, common mode of private transportation, in snatching, robbery and drug peddling in the port city.
Police said they could not check such crimes due to lack of manpower and technologies. Sources in Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) said there are around 17 gangs of muggers who use the CNG-run auto-rickshaws in snatching in the city and its adjacent areas.
The gangs commonly known as 'Tana Party' and “Gamchha Party” engage at least three operatives to commit any crime.
The Tana Party men snatch valuables from passengers of slow moving vehicles from their speeding auto-rickshaw while Gamchha Party men board auto-rickshaws driven by their cohorts to take away belongings of the passengers and drop them at a lonely place later.
The muggers find the roads stretching from Pahartali City Gate to Olanker Intersection, Naya Bazar to Boropole, Agrabad Access Road, GEC intersection, Zakir Hossain Road and SS Khaled Road to commit crimes and make safe way to flee.
Some dishonest auto-rickshaw owners are also involved with the crime as they rent out the vehicles to the criminals in exchange for higher amount of daily rent, said the sources.
Of 13,000 registered auto-rickshaws, over 100 ply with fake or duplicate documents and licences to avoid arrest after committing crimes.
Earlier in 2008, CMP traffic department had taken initiatives to force the auto-rickshaw owners to set up an iron-grill cover in the vehicles to ensure safety of the passengers from snatchers. They also started developing a database with information about the drivers to reduce such crimes.
The initiatives included marking the registration number of the auto-rickshaw and telephone number of police control room on upside, making uniform mandatory for the drivers and keeping details about drivers and owners in laminated paper and charging fare according to tariff meter.
But, most of the owners and drivers are not following the rules helping in increase of crimes, said the sources.
Police arrested four members, including an owner of auto-rickshaw, of a gang of snatchers along with two auto-rickshaws running without licence in the city on April 1.
CMP Double-mooring Zone Assistant Commissioner (AC) Tanvir Arafat, quoting the arrestees said the auto-rickshaw owner has seven other such vehicles that he rent to the snatchers in exchange for Tk 2,000 each when he got Tk 450 to Tk 550 only if he had rented those to genuine drivers.
Arafat said they have information that about three such gangs are involved with the crimes under the Double-mooring Zone.
Only after two days of the drive, Locals caught a driver with his accomplice along with an auto-rickshaw while trying to snatch belongings of a rickshaw passenger in city's Nasirabad area. Locals handed over the criminals to police after a good beating, sources said.
Assistant Commissioner (AC) of CMP Detective Branch Jahangir Alam said they are concerned at the crimes committed using the auto-rickshaws.
He said over 100 auto-rickshaws have been seized on charge of involvement with crimes and 50 people were arrested in this connection. Crimes could not be checked completely but reduced significantly, he said, adding that they would launch a drive against the criminals soon.
Deputy Commissioner of CMP Traffic Department Faruk Ahmed told The daily Star that they have asked all the auto-rickshaw owners to set up iron-grill cover in the auto-rickshaw by April 30 this year.
“We have already enriched our database with information of 7,000 drivers and the work is going on full swing to reap benefit from it,” Faruk said, adding that police will go tough against the violators.