Muggers on bikes worry city cops

Bike-riding muggers have become a menace in the capital, which concerns law enforcers as they are yet to find a proper way to stop these criminals.
In broad daylight, the gangs snatch money from citizens going to or coming out of banks injuring the victims sometimes fatally.
The issue was in focus at a monthly conference held at Rajarbagh Police Lines on January 23 where key personnel of Dhaka Metropolitan Police discussed what steps should be taken to prevent such crimes.
Meeting sources said the city's police stations recorded 35 incidents in which people had been shot and wounded during such muggings last month alone.
Law enforcers could neither recover the money taken away nor arrest anyone significant.
Several DMP officials told The Daily Star that the actual number of such muggings was much higher as many incidents are not reported.
On December 11, biker gangs shot two people in Chankharpul in the capital to get away snatching over Tk 12 lakh in broad day light. One of the victims later died.
On Saturday last at Shanti Nagar in Dhaka, a gang shot a father and his son to snatch Tk 12 lakh. On the same day, another gang robbed Tk 4 lakh from a person at the city's Shanir Akhra.
A DMP official, who was present at the meeting, said such mugging worries them as they cannot determine what measure they should take to prevent the crime.
Anwar Hossain, deputy commissioner of Motijheel division, said at the meeting they were asked to intensify police patrols and set up check posts.
Replying to a query about the number of bike-riding mugger gangs, he said law enforcers were trying to make a list.
Nisarul Arif, deputy commissioner of Uttara division, said, "We arrested a number of people for committing such crimes but most of them later got bail and resumed criminal activities.
"We are keeping a watch on criminals now in jail. We will follow their activities after their release on bail," Arif claimed.