Serial muggers terrorise Mohammadpur
The residents of Mohammadpur's Beribadh area have been living with a growing sense of insecurity and fear over the last few months due to recurring robberies and muggings perpetrated mostly by teenage gangs.
Armed with sharp weapons, the gangs have adopted a brazen modus operandi: rob anyone and everyone in their path either by intimidation or attack.
At least four incidents of serial muggings and robberies were reported over the last 30 days.
Residents blamed lax police surveillance and their failure to apprehend the actual criminals.
They went on to allege that the criminals managed to evade arrest due to the protection they get from local politicians.
Sumon Khan, manager of a grocery shop in Beribadh, said, "We live in constant fear as muggings and robberies occur almost daily. We refrain from leaving our homes unless necessary."
Sumon fell victim to an attack by a group of robbers on November 22. Around 6:00pm that day, five robbers entered Sumon's shop and attempted to loot the cash box.
When Sumon resisted, he was attacked with a machete. He was injured in his left hand. Sumon had to undergo treatment at the hospital for a week.
He said, "The cash box contained Tk 1.14 lakh."
When Sumon's employer, Md Habib, first tried to file a case with Mohammadpur Police Station, he was turned away by the duty officer, who claimed to be busy and advised him to return a day later.
On November 23, police finally registered a case against unidentified robbers, although Sumon identified one of the suspects as "Chui Rakib".
A month later, when asked about the progress in the investigation, Shofiul Alam, sub-inspector of Mohammadpur Police Station and also the investigating officer of the case, told this newspaper that they had identified some suspects but had not made any arrests.
"Tracking down the culprits proved difficult as they do not have any addresses and often appear suddenly and hide quickly," he said.
Sumon was one of the two dozen individuals targeted on that fateful day. Armed with knives, machetes, and rods, the robbers targeted shops and pedestrians in Beribadh, according to witnesses.
The following day, on November 23, another serial mugging occurred in the same area around 7:00pm. The attackers, armed with machetes and knives, stole valuables from pedestrians.
The mugging sprees usually last 30-40 minutes.
One such incident took place on December 19 in an area of around 1.5km -- from Chand Uddyan in Mohammadpur to Rayerbazar.
The muggers targeted people and pedestrians along this route.
The most recent serial mugging occurred on December 24. The attacks started in the Rayerbazar area. The muggers advanced via Hossein Saheb Lane and Pabna House Lane and continued to Beribadh.
In a 40-minute episode that unfolded around noon, the criminals looted valuables and mobile phones from everyone in their path.
"Mugging takes place almost every day near Beribadh and its surrounding areas. Police during the drives arrested drug addicts or local vagabonds instead of arresting the real criminals," claimed a shopkeeper on Pabna House Lane in Beribadh.
Requesting anonymity, the shopkeeper said police even showed the recovery of knives and machetes. "The real culprits are never arrested, and so the muggings continue."
At least a dozen people from the area echoed the same sentiment.
Mrityunjoy Dey Sajal, additional deputy commissioner of (Mohammadpur zone) Tejgaon division, however, refuted the allegation and said, "We've arrested some muggers, and they've given confessional statements in court admitting their involvement in the muggings."
Meanwhile, locals claimed some political leaders sheltered these criminals to establish dominance over rivals.
On this matter, Shiekh Mohammad Hossain, councillor of Ward 34, told this newspaper that there is a possibility of muggers enjoying political backing. He, however, did not identify any such backers.
Hossain said the ward administration has volunteers working to guard the area to prevent muggings and robberies.
But another local political leader, requesting anonymity, said these criminals are from Bhola, and they live in Chand Housing, Shat Mosque Housing, and Dhaka Uddyan areas, largely dominated by former Ward 33 councillor Tarequzzaman Rajib.
Rajib, however, refuted the allegation. "I was in jail for the last three years and got bail only eight to nine months ago. My rivals are spreading rumours and hatching conspiracies against me," he told The Daily Star.
Kh Mahid Uddin, additional commissioner (crime and operations) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told this newspaper on Wednesday, "We have already arrested many muggers involved in these incidents by identifying them from CCTV footage. Drives are underway to arrest the absconding ones."
"Due to the recurring nature of these incidents, we have already instructed the local police to beef up security, vigilance, and drives so that robberies and muggings no longer take place in the coming days," he added.
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