Crime wave sparks fear in city dwellers

A series of killings and muggings in the capital over the past few weeks has raised fresh concerns over Dhaka's law and order situation, with several incidents caught on camera and widely shared on social media, stoking fear and insecurity among city dwellers.

The latest in the string of violent crimes took place on Sunday night, when two masked assailants shot dead Kamrul Ahsan Shadhon, 52, joint convener of BNP's Gulshan Thana unit, in Badda's Gudaraghat area. CCTV footage capturing the incident went viral.

The attack comes just two weeks after the murder of Shahriar Alam Shammo, a 25-year-old Dhaka University student and leader of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, BNP's student front. He was stabbed to death near Suhrawardy Udyan on May 13, sparking outrage on campus and beyond.

The recent wave of violence also includes the killings of two young men -- Nurul Islam, 26, a freelance photographer, and Samiur Rahman, 23, a student of Dr Maleka University College -- in separate incidents in the capital's Shankar and Jigatala areas on May 16.

Apart from these killings, several recent mugging incidents, some taking place in broad daylight, have also rattled residents. In several cases, attackers were seen using machetes, hinting at a pattern.

According to Police Headquarters data, violent crime has seen a significant surge in Dhaka between January and April compared to the same period last year.

Between January and April this year, 175 robbery cases were recorded -- almost double from last year's 94. Dacoity cases jumped over threefold from seven to 24 in the same period this year compared to last year. Most alarmingly, murder cases nearly tripled -- from 47 last year to 136 this year.

Omar Faruk, a professor at the department of criminology and police science at Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, said that when a society goes through instability, criminals often take advantage of the situation.

"Even after 10 months under the interim government, the police have yet to regain their confidence -- an environment that criminals perceive as favourable for their activities."

He said many officers lack the specialised training needed to handle such volatile situations. "Policing alone is sometimes not enough -- community engagement is also essential to maintain law and order."

RECENT VIOLENT CRIMES

On Saturday night, a group of three muggers attacked a man beneath the Pallabi metro station around 11:30pm, stabbing him and fleeing with his phone.

The victim, Al-Amin Rana, an employee of a private firm at Nikunja, was returning home when the assailants blocked his way, attacked him with machetes, and snatched his iPhone.

"They took my iPhone -- but more importantly, they took away my sense of security," Rana told The Daily Star yesterday.

He said he filed a case with Pallabi Police Station, but no action was taken until the video went viral and media reports drew attention to the incident.

In another similar incident, a viral video shows three men robbing a man in broad daylight on Greenway Lane in Moghbazar on May 18, attacking him with machetes. The muggers took his phone, Tk 14,000, and other belongings.

Hatirjheel Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Raju said police traced Abdullah, a restaurant worker, after the video surfaced and urged him to lodge a complaint.

Another chilling video from May 19 shows a BNP activist being hacked with sharp weapons on Central Road.

Meanwhile, Mohammadpur and its adjoining areas have seen a string of violent events in recent weeks.

On May 15, a man was killed and another injured in a mob beating during an alleged mugging attempt in Basila Housing City. Later that night, in another incident, seven members of a family were injured in an alleged attack by a teen gang in Jafrabad.

Two days prior, a group of masked youths carrying machetes were seen roaming openly in the Rayer Bazar area in the afternoon, as seen on CCTV footage. On May 18, six teenagers were seen chasing a youth with machetes in the Adabor area around 9:45pm.

On April 28, armed criminals opened fire in broad daylight at the office-cum-residence of a real estate businessman on Sher Shah Suri Road in Mohammadpur -- the second such incident in just over a month.

These incidents are taking place even as the army remains deployed in the capital with magistracy powers to assist in maintaining law and order.

Addressing a press briefing yesterday, Col Shafiqul Islam, colonel staff of the Directorate of Military Operations at Army Headquarters, said the army is working tirelessly to ensure public safety.

He said maintaining law and order is not solely the army's responsibility and stressed the need for coordinated action among all law enforcement agencies. "With joint efforts, we expect the situation to improve."

Speaking to The Daily Star, SN Md Nazrul Islam, additional commissioner (crime and operations) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said Dhaka is a megacity, and it is unrealistic to expect it to be entirely free of crime.

"We have already detected and arrested suspects in several recent cases. For the incidents that occurred over the past two to three days, investigations are ongoing, and we are making progress."

Referring to the Badda killing, he said, "Using CCTV footage, we're close to identifying the perpetrators."

"There is no reason for city residents to worry. We are fully aware of the situation and are working with utmost professionalism."