Criminals continue to elude police

Law enforcers have failed to arrest the criminals who make threats from their cellphone for realising extortion as they collect the SIM cards from different mobile phone operators by using fake address, photograph and other documents.
Different agents of the mobile operators are involved in the irregularities by selling SIMs to the 'criminal subscribers.'
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Shahidul Haque told The Daily Star that they asked the mobile phone companies in March to make inactive 623 SIMs, used by extortionists.
He said investigation officers (IOs) concerned during their investigation found that the criminals had used fake addresses, photographs and other documents for getting the SIM cards.
He said, “Mobile phone companies will be asked to take steps to prevent their agents from selling SIM cards without maintaining due process or DMP will file cases against the agents.”
The DMP commissioner said it is impossible to recover all illegal SIM cards and said Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has the responsibility to check and monitor the irregularities.
Shahidul said top listed criminals who went into hiding in nearby countries are collecting toll using illegal SIM cards.
He said police arrested eight cadres of top listed criminal Shahadat from Mirpur area, who went into hiding in India along with 10 cellphone sets with illegal SIM cards.
He said Shahadat gives direction to his gang over cellphone from India using Indian SIM card and added that they commit criminal activities in the country as per his instructions.
The cohorts of Shahadat were involved in the gun attack in Epylion Garment at Pallabi for realising extortion that left its one guard killed and two others wounded.
A vendor of an outlet at Gulbagh of Malibagh area said he sells SIM cards without keeping photographs if the subscribers agree to give those later and he also manages the signature for illiterate subscribers.
When asked about criminal activities by using illegal SIM cards, he said "It is not my concern as it's a matter of the mobile phone operators."