Teen gang patrons still untouched

Seven years ago, the nation was shaken by the murder of an eighth grader named Adnan Kabir by a gang of boys about his age in the capital's Uttara.

After the killing of the 14-year-old on January 6, 2017, law enforcers arrested 26 suspected members of different gangs in Uttara. Much to the dismay of Adnan's parents, trial proceedings in the case filed over his murder have not ended yet.

After youth gangs killed two men and stabbed a woman in separate incidents in the capital last week, law enforcers are again focusing on teen gangs.

According to police headquarters (PHQ) data, 180 teen gangs have at least 1,677 active members across the country.

Tawohidul Haque, associate professor at Dhaka University's Institute of Social Welfare and Research, says the problem with how law enforcers conduct the drives is that they detain the teenagers and the young people, and do not touch the patrons.

In 2023, teen gangs killed at least 26 people, injured 329 others, and law enforcers arrested 940 in 379 cases, as per the data.

Of the arrestees, 197 were sent to the correctional facilities. They were accused of being involved in petty crimes, sexual harassment, mugging, and drug abuse.

Law enforcers say most of the gang members trade and abuse drugs, and many have illegal firearms and local weapons.

On March 21, Shimul Hossain, 35, a local Jubo League leader in Jashore was stabbed to death by a group of teenage boys.

On March 20, local boys entered a flat in the capital's Mohammadpur and stabbed Sathi Begum, 27, because she informed law enforcers about gang activities.

On March 16, Faisal Russel, 25, was fatally stabbed and his friend Rashed was injured in the Pallabi area of the capital by what police said was a gang of young people.

There are at least 11 gangs in Mohammadpur, four in Dhanmondi and 13 in Mirpur, officers say. Boys get engaged in such gangs between the age of 14 and 18.

"We used to think children of homeless and low-income families were mainly involved in gangs. But the fact is, boys of upper middle class and rich people are also getting involved in gangs," says Harun Or Rashid, additional commissioner (detective branch) of DMP.

"They are killing people under the protection of local 'big brothers' and sometimes the councillors," he adds.

Khandaker Al Moin, director (legal and media) at Rab Headquarters, says gang activities have become more frequent in recent weeks and Rab teams are working to stop them.

Rab teams arrested at least 16 members of teen gangs in January and 189 in February. Last year, Rab arrested 349 members of the teen gangs.

"All stakeholders including parents, teachers, and the society in general need to come forward to tackle the issue," he says.

Kh Mahid Uddin, additional commissioner (crime) of DMP, told a discussion yesterday that a list of patrons of teenage gangs was being prepared.

He added that the suspects, regardless of their political affiliation, would face action.

Mahid said awareness should be raised to curb juvenile delinquency.

DU teacher Tawohidul says, "We saw a report that 21 ward councillors back one or more gangs each in Dhaka city. The report was published two months ago, but no action has been taken against them."

If only the boys get arrested, the drives will not solve the problem, he adds.