They snatch 300 phones a day
Around a hundred roam the city streets in search of their target -- mobile phones. On average, they mug unsuspecting people and steal around 300 phones in Dhaka and adjoining areas every day.
The "mohajans (gang leaders)" set a target for each of their members to snatch at least three phones per day.
Mohammad Harun Or Rashid, chief of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Detective Branch, disclosed this yesterday after law enforcers arrested 16 muggers including two gang leaders from different areas.
"So every day, 300 mobile phones, on average, are being mugged in the city," he said.
The muggers snatch the phones whenever anyone talks or browses the internet while sitting on the window seat of a bus or car.
The gang leaders then buy the phones from them at a low price.
The inexpensive phones are sold directly, while the expensive ones are dismantled and sold as parts. In some cases, the gang leaders change the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers of the phones and sell them, he said.
The DB officials requested the city dwellers to file general diaries after such mugging incidents so that law enforcers can at least find out the hotspots.
The arrestees are Md Mizan, Amirul Islam Babu, Sharif Hossain, Ridoy, Raj, Suman, Sohel Babu, Ridoy, Moniruzzaman, Nazmul, Monir, Imran, Faruk, Ashraful Islam Sajib, Arif and Hasan.
A case has been filed with Uttarkhan Police Station in this regard.
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