Ctg snatchers rule the nights

If you are a CNG-run auto-rickshaw passenger in Chittagong city, next time you get on one, be careful.

Chances are high that you might lose your belongings and even life at the hands of the snatchers.

Due to inactiveness of the law enforcers, at least 10 to 12 groups of armed criminals are roaming the city at night in their auto-rickshaws in search of prey.

On Sunday, Mohammed Ali, 46, a timber merchant, got in a Hathazari-bound auto-rickshaw from Muradpur around 8:00pm.

A passenger was already inside and two more got in from separate stations. As soon as the auto-rickshaw reached Amin Jute Mill area, the passengers started beating him.

They took away his belongings, put pepper powder in his eyes and threw him out of the vehicle. All along, the driver continued driving.

When Ali started screaming, locals chased and stopped the vehicle. Three of the snatchers were handed over to police while another fled.

Ali was lucky that he was not killed. But Jahangir Alam, 35, of Feni, and Nasir Uddin, 34, of Noakhali, were not.

On October 13, Jahangir, a garment worker, took an auto-rickshaw from Nimtala around 8:00pm. The next day his body was found in Ambagan area.

He was suffocated to death and his belongings were looted by a group of four snatchers, who were later arrested.

On October 14, around 2:00am, Md Nasir came to Pahartali area to see his ailing mother. His stabbed body was found near the Pahartali eye hospital.

A team of Police Bureau of Investigation led by Inspector Sontos Kumar Chakma arrested two persons using mobile phone technology.

The duo, Imran Hossain Bappi, 22, and Suman, 30, confessed to a Chittagong court that a group of five snatchers led by one Ismail Hossain Tempo murdered Nasir while snatching his phone.

Tempo was a listed criminal and an accused in at least 15 cases, said Sontos, adding that he was now out in bail.

According to Sontos, at least 10 to 12 snatching groups were active in the city.

“We have increased patrol, are conducting drives and keeping an eye on the listed criminals,” said Additional Police Commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police Debdas Bhattacharia.

Contacted, Haider Azom Chowdhury, general secretary of Chittagong Metropolitan Auto Rickshaw Baby Taxi Owners' Association, said, “Some unscrupulous people bring the vehicles from outside of the city. If any of the city auto-rickshaw drivers are found involved, we have requested the law enforcement agencies to take strict measures.”

However, some victims doubted whether police were sincere in arresting the culprits.

While talking to the residents of Nimtala, Foy's Lake and Chawkbazar, many told this correspondent that the snatching incidents had increased due to lax monitoring. Regular patrolling and monitoring during night was a must, they said.

Mostafa Emran Shohel, a local journalist, was stabbed and robbed by eight to 10 armed snatchers on College Road in Mohsin School Gate on July 1. He filed a case with Chawkbazar Police Station, but to no avail. “Police would have been able to arrest the criminals if they had tried sincerely,” said a frustrated Emran.

Another victim of snatching was a police constable.

Mohammed Siddique, of Pahartali Police Station, was hacked and robbed of Tk 10,000 and two mobile phones by four machete-wielding snatchers on July 10. Police were yet to arrest the criminals or recover the valuables.

“Only when anyone loses life police become active,” said a victim, requesting anonymity.