Police hunt for clues in 10 murders

Dalim Mallik, ringleader of a gang, and a CNG-run auto-rickshaw used in mugging.Photo: STAR

Police are hunting for clues in ten murders committed by a gang of muggers during the last two years in the port city as one of the ringleaders was arrested recently.
The gang killed people, mostly CNG auto-rickshaw passengers, after mugging their valuables.
Earlier, police arrested seven members of the gang but did not submit charge sheets as they could not nab the masterminds, police said.
Detective Branch (DB) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) arrested Dalim Mallik, the gang leader, at a residential hotel in the Reazuddin Bazar area on January 30.
Police said Dalim never took part in operations as he had controlled the gang as ringleader that mug the victims, including the auto-rickshaw passengers, before killing them in collusion with a section of auto-rickshaw drivers.
Sources said at least ten people, including lawyers, government officials, expatriate businessman and student, fell victim to Dalim's gang, known as silent killer in the port city.
One Sabbir Azad was killed in the Bayezid area in the first such incident on July 3 in 2006. Akbar Said Chowdhury, a preventive officer of Chittagong Customs authority, was murdered in the Panchlaish area on August 29 the same year.
The criminals murdered Advocate Din Mohammad while he was returning home in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw on June 19 in 2007.
Besides, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) inspector Prity Ranjan Chakma was murdered on July 19, university student Fashiul Hoque Shaon on July 24, expatriate businessman Nurul Hoque Rafiq on August 29 in 2007.
The muggers also killed four unidentified people in Khulshi, Pahartali and Kotwali areas last year.
Five of the cases were transferred to the Detective Branch (DB) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) last year while three others to Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as the officials concerned at police stations could not find out any clue in these cases, sources said.
With Dalim, DB police arrested nine other members of the gang so far, including four CNG auto-rickshaw drivers since July last year.
Tuku Rani Chakma, wife of Prity Ranjan, said her family life is in a complete mess after the murder of Prity.
She said she wants the law enforcement agency to arrest the criminals involved in the killing.
Of the arrestees, Al Amin Gazi, Billal Hossain, Shahid Raja, Zakir Hossain, Humayun Kabir, Md Sohel and Md Selim gave confessional statements before the magistrate under Section 164 in September last year.
Al Amin Gazi, the second-in-command of the gang, in his confessional statement to Metropolitan Magistrate Md Abdul Quiyum on September 17 last year said they conducted each of operation in two groups hiring two CNG-run auto-rickshaws.
He said an auto-rickshaw halts with the target passenger at the designated place in the city where one group waits in another auto-rickshaw. The waiting group swiftly got into the auto-rickshaw with the target passenger from two sides as soon as it halts before them, he added.
They travel with the passengers and strangle them with either napkin or electric wire and threw them into isolated and dark roadsides after looting their valuables, he said.
All the seven criminals mentioned Dalim as their ringleader in their statements during the interrogation, said DB Inspector Abu Jafar Md Omar Faruk.
Dalim remained absconding since August last year when his cohorts were arrested, the DB police sources said.
While talking to The Daily Star at DB office yesterday, Dalim said he stays at residential hotels and only buys the valuable mobile sets looted from the victims at cheaper rate and sell those to one Kaiser alias 'Culture' at Patenga.
Dalim discloses names of a few other kingpins like Panu, Kamal and Hossain who also cooperated with him in this regard.
Faruk said they will pray for a 10-day remand for the accused for interrogation when he will be produced before the court.
Asiqul Hoque Bhuiyan, assistant commissioner (AC) of DB police, said they will be able to know about the whole ring after interrogating Dalim and submit charge sheets in this regard soon.