10 top outlaws still run parties in southwestern region

Law enforcing agencies are yet to arrest any of the 10 'top' listed leaders of outlawed parties and gang groups active in southwestern districts. They are still active in Kushtia, Meherpur, Chuadanga, Pabna, Rajbari and Jhenidah districtscollecting toll and doing other crimes, sources said.
The cadres, listed with police as 'hardcore criminals', are evading arrest despite all out attempts by law enforces including Rapid Action battalion (Rab) in last three years to nab them.
Six of them are leaders of outlawed parties and four are of gang groups. The outlawed leaders are Gono Bahini (GB) chief Azibor Rahman and his 'second-in-command' Mandar; Gono Mukti Fouz (GMF) chief Shahin and three 'regional commander' Mukul, Tikka and Bakhtiar; and New Bipplobi Communist Party (NBCP) chief Akdil Hossain alias Buro
Leaders of gang groups include Lalchad Bahini chief Lalchad; Mukti Bahini chief Mukti and Hamidul and Rashidul who lead the Hara Bahini.
All of them hail from different areas of Kushtia district and conduct criminal activities in Kushtia and adjacent Meherpur, Chuadanga, Pabna, Rajbari and Jhenidah districts.
Sources said GMF leader Tikka demanded Tk.2 lakh from a businessman at Totamtola in Sailkupa upazila in Jhenidah several days ago. The businessman is also an employee at Islamic University.
Sources close to the businessman said they informed police about the incident.
According to law enforcing agencies, some cadres of GB and NBCP recently held several meetings with a plan to capture some water bodies including Nandia, Uzangram and Chapaygachi in Kushtia Sadar upazila.
They also threatened some of the lessees of the water bodies to leave those, sources said.
The Hara Bahini still runs drug trade in eastern areas of Kushtia including Aruapara, Char Amlapara, Cheuri, Haripur, Raini, Kaya.
Lalchad runs a smuggling ring operating in Daultapur in Kushtia, the sources said.
At least 10 special anti-crime drives including much talked about Operation Clean Heart and Operation Spider Web were launched in the southwestern region, country's most outlaw infested zone, in last four years. But the hardened criminals remained out of the dragnet.
During the period, law enforcers however arrested a good number of cadres of the outlawed parties and gang groups. A good number of them were killed in 'crossfire' with police. But there has not been any let up in activities by their top brasses.
Sources claimed that some of the top outlaws are at large in their areas, while others are out of the country.
They are doing party activities and collecting toll through grassroots cadres. Some of them are controlling party activities from a neighbouring country through cell phones, the sources claimed.
According to police records and newspaper reports, at least 166 'crossfire' incidents took place in Kushtia district alone in three years since June 2004. Of those killed, at least 100 were outlaws. They included at least 50 of GMF, 35 of GB, four of NBCP, 13 of alias Hara Bahini and nine of Lal Chad Bahini.
It is the highest figure for a district in southwestern region.
The sources said some outlawed parties and gang groups in the region have closed ranks and are trying to reorganise their parties.
The sources however said the rival parties who earlier fought over supremacy in their respective areas and toll collection have sunk differences only to save them.
Leaders of the parties held several meetings in last one and a half months, they claimed.
On August 1, police arrested two cadres of outlawed GMF and Bipplobi Communist Party (BCP) when they were holding a secret meeting. They are Basir Ahmed and Zamarat.
Police said both were killed in 'crossfire' when they were taken out for arms recovery.
Kushtia Police Superintendent Gazi Jasim Uddin, when contacted, said “We are always alert about the criminals and are trying to net them. We hope to succeed.
He said the law and order is now under control.