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City gets panicky in petty crime spurt

Kailash Sarkar
Petty crimes - mugging, extortion and burglary - have spurted in the capital in the last few days and the criminals are having a free run in the absence of proper policing.
It does not matter whether you are walking alone or in a crowd in the city, during the day or at night. Or whether you are taking a rickshaw ride or inside a car. The muggers will get you if you don't have the luck, as Tan veer or Rashed or Silvy will tell you. •
Soon after college student Tanveer of Satkhira, who came to Dhaka on April 8. after his SSC examinations to get admission to a coaching centre, got down from the bus at the city's Shyamoli at around 10:00am, muggers took away his mobile phone and money at gunpoint in broad daylight.
Rashed (not his real name), a young former BNP lawmaker from the south, had given a ride to his journalist friend and was standing in front of the house just to say goodnight. In a
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flash, a white car approached them and three men came out with machetes. It took them five to six seconds to collect their mobiles and wallets and then they disappeared in the dark.
Silvy (not her real name), an expatriate university teacher, was walking down the Banani road and then a brand new car suddenly pulled up. Someone in the car snatched her purse through the window. She lost two mobiles and her house rent, Tk 25,000 along with credit cards and all.
None of these victims recorded any case with the police, as thousand others don't do it -• because it is useless, mostly. Rather a waste of time and energy, they felt.
When our reporter approached the police officers to know the reasons for the sudden rise in crimes, the answers that came were pathetic. And rather showed their helplessness or lack of interest in fighting crime.
"The criminals put in prison during the tenure of the last caretaker government have started coming out on bail, as human rights situation has improved," Md Monirul Islam, deputy commissioner of Detective Branch of Police, said.
"The criminals now find it a 'comfortable' environment," he added.
Police Commissioner AKM Shahidul Huq gave four reasons for the escalating crimes that are in fact age-old arguments of any failed cop.
"We catch the criminals and they come out on bail. They return to their previous activities and we have no power over this," he said.
"Erosion of social and moral value, unemployment and drug addiction are also responsible for the rise in crimes," Shahidul added.
DMP sources said more than 300 groups comprised of about 1,200 muggers are active at around 500 spots in the capital. And they have acquired some sophistication in the act.
Besides, there are over 250 gangs in Dhaka having around 1,000 members who drug or apply ointment in the eyes to mug people.
Sources said at least 15 people were killed and 60 other victims of mugging.and extortion were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in the last one week.
Moreover, 24 people were killed in the last month while 105 incidents of women and children repression, 12 of abduction, 56 of robbery, 312 of theft and 58 of mugging occurred during the period.