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At least 10 have been killed in the area since August 5
November 2, 2024, 10:10 PM
Last modified: November 3, 2024, 12:03 AM
Illustration: TBS
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Illustration: TBS
On October 21, CCTV footage of a robbery incident in Mohammadpur went viral, shocking residents.
The video shows a young female university student walking down a street in the Nobodoy Housing district around 6:30 am. Suddenly, a group of young men emerged from behind, brandishing machetes, and blocked her path.
They demanded her bag, but when she resisted, they tried to stab her.
In a desperate struggle, the robbers managed to grab her bag before the young woman fled the scene.
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The viral video has created fear among residents of Mohammadpur, especially women, who are now hesitant to step out even during the day.
Residents have reported a significant deterioration in law and order in Mohammadpur since August 5, with a sharp increase in crimes, especially robberies and murders.
Since then, at least ten people have been killed in the area, believed to be linked to political dominance and drug trafficking. Miscreants openly brandish automatic firearms, and shootings have become commonplace.
Due to the rising crime rate, local residents are reluctant to leave their homes after dark unless absolutely necessary, especially in the outlying areas of Mohammadpur including Chand Udyan, Bosila and Ring Road areas. They avoid taking expensive items such as mobile phones, bank cards and large sums of money with them when they have to go out.
On the morning of October 20, six miscreants blocked a Nestlé commercial vehicle in Mohammadi Housing Limited and robbed Tk11.85 lakh.
Previously, On the night of October 11, armed robbers disguised as Army and RAB personnel entered the house of a businessman in Mohammadpur, looting Tk 7.5 lakh and 60 bhories worth of gold jewellery.
On October 24, robbers stormed a supermarket in Mohammadpur’s Basila 40-yard area, held the shopkeeper hostage with sharp weapons and made off with all the money.
After August 5, the day the Hasina regime began fell in the face of a massive uprising, law and order began to deteriorate due to the absence of police personnel at the stations. Although police later returned, the situation continues to spiral out of control.
To ensure the safety of people’s lives and properties, temporary army camps were recently set up in the area in collaboration with the police and the RAB.
Law enforcement officials attribute the challenges in containing the situation to several factors, including manpower shortages and insufficient patrol vehicles. They, however, assured that efforts are being made to curb the escalating crime rate.
With sufficient manpower and resources, such activities could be brought under control more effectively, they say.
Over the past week, the military arrested several identified terrorists and extortionists in a special operation to combat the deteriorating situation.
Most robberies in rural areas, ‘Mughal area’ safer
According to locals and police officials in Mohammadpur, affluent residential areas named after the Mughal period, such as Iqbal Road, Taj Mahal Road and Shershah Suri Road, have relatively low rates of robberies due to increased police vigilance.
On the other hand, areas like Chand Udyan, Chandrima Housing and the Ring Road and Basila area are more prone to such incidents.
Saqlain Rizvi, a resident of Mohammadpur, said the central part of Mohammadpur and its adjoining areas, Dhanmondi and Lalmatia, have lower crime rates.
However, he emphasizes the higher risk on the outskirts of Mohammedpur, where most residents do not go out at night due to safety concerns.
In the last two weeks, ten robbery incidents have occurred in Soarighat Beribadh Road, Beribadh Four Road Junction, Bosila and Gabtali Bridge areas. on Mohammadpur-Gabtali road.
Khandkar Rafi, a resident of Bosila, narrated an incident that took place on October 19 around 3:30 pm.
He said three members of his diner were on their way home from a nearby restaurant when they were ambushed by a group of nine to 10 young men armed with large, sharp weapons. The attackers robbed them of their belongings, including two mobile phones and about Tk9,000 in cash, before fleeing the scene.
A robbery victim, who wished to remain anonymous, reported that he was riding a rickshaw in the Bosila 40 Feet area on October 18 around 10pm when a group of robbers intercepted the vehicle and robbed him of his mobile phone and wallet.
Iftekhar Hasan, Officer-in-Charge of Mohammadpur Police Station, stated that the police are actively working to control the situation and arrest the criminals.
Teen gang dominance
Teenage gang culture has long been a problem in Mohammadpur its elements are involved in various criminal activities.
Locals report that these gangs were once aligned with the Chhatra League and Jubo League have adapted to the changing political landscape since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5. They are now actively involved in theft, robberies and robberies.
On the night of October 27, the army launched a special operation in Mohammadpur, arresting around 40 members of various teenage gangs. Many of the detainees had distinctive tattoos, some with double star symbols.
A series of murders
On September 20, two persons, Nasir Biswas (29) and Munna (22), were found brutally murdered in the embankment area near Rayerbazar Boddhobhumi in Mohammadpur. Both victims were affiliated with the same gang.
A mason by profession, Nasir was known for his links with the Awami League in the Mohammadpur-Hazaribagh area. A police investigation has shown this he had used this connection to extort money and participate in drug trafficking.
Munna had a criminal record and was involved in at least eight drug cases and acts of sabotage. Nasir was involved in two drug-related cases.
Three days after the incident, a case was registered at Mohammadpur police station against six persons, including notorious terrorist Imamul Hasan Helal alias Picchi Helal.
A person named Miraj Molla (23) was arrested the same day in connection with the case.
On September 1, Billal Gazi, an employee of Akash Neela Western Housing, was brutally murdered in the Nobodoy Housing area. in Mohammedpur.
On September 17, Shahadat Hossain was hacked to death at Three Road Junction area in Green View Housing, Mohammadpur.
Moreover, CNG driver Shahriar Ashiq (21) was killed in Bosila 40-Feet area of Aram Housing, Mohammadpur.
After the incident, his father filed a case with Mohammadpur police station. Fourteen people were subsequently arrested by the police in connection with the case.
History of underworld dominance in Mohammadpur
Mohammadpur has long been a breeding ground for top criminals who dominated the underworld and controlled criminal activities in this part of the capital.
It is widely believed that Swedish Aslam, a notorious terrorist, once controlled criminal activities in Mohammadpur in the 1990s.
His criminal career began in 1986 with the murder of a young man named Shakil, who was shot dead while holding his mother’s hand outside Nazneen School in East Rajabazar, Farmgate.
Five days after Shakil’s assassination, he took control of eight halls of Dhaka University in one night to assert his dominance. After this takeover, the name Aslam became synonymous with terror.
After committing more than a dozen murders, he fled to Sweden, where he was nicknamed “Sweden Aslam”.
He was later imprisoned and faced at least twelve cases, the last of which was filed in connection with the murder of Jubo League leader Ghalib of Tejgaon on March 23, 1997. He was released on bail on September 3.
Of the 23 top criminals, Picchi Helal and Sanjidul Islam Imon are said to have continued extortion in Mohammadpur’s transport sector and on footpaths even from prison. Since Helal’s recent release, he has reportedly returned to criminal activities.
Another top terrorist from Mohammadpur was Tofail Ahmed Joseph, a former Chhatra League leader. His elder brother, Major General Aziz Ahmed, was director general of the Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) and subsequently chief of army staff.
The youngest of five siblings, Joseph entered politics under the leadership of his elder brother Haris Ahmed, a former member of the Jatiya Party who later joined the Jubo League and was a councilor for Ward 44.
Joseph then established a reign of terror in Mohammadpur-Hazaribagh and surrounding areas ninetieswhere he joined the infamous Seven Star Group led by Subrata Bain.
During that time, the Seven Star Group and the Five Star Group were the two dominant criminal organizations in Dhaka.
In 2018, Joseph was released from prison after a presidential clemency shortened his life sentence.