City dwellers on edge as mugging runs rampant

A young man slips between vehicles stuck in traffic at night and snatches a phone through an open car window with astonishing swiftness at the capital's Asad Gate.

As he steals the phone, two other men, one of them holding a machete, stand nearby. And the three of them disappear within seconds.

Video footage of the incident on December 16, filmed by someone in a nearby car, went viral on social media.

According to police, incidents of mugging and snatching have significantly increased in recent months, with commuters feeling concerned about their safety.

Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury and Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner SM Sazzat Ali have ordered increasing patrols and setting up checkpoints. But these measures are hardly making an impact.

According to the police database, at least 22 cases were filed with Dhaka metropolitan police stations over mugging in September, 43 in October, and 31 in November.

Law enforcers say the actual number of mugging is much higher as many victims do not report the crime.

They add that petty crimes started rising across the city after August 5, the day the Awami League government fell amid a mass uprising and the law enforcers deserted their stations.

At least 11 people have been killed allegedly by muggers since August 5.

On December 18, a apparel trader named Kamrul Hasan, 23, was stabbed to death by muggers right after he stepped off a bus on Mayor Hanif Flyover.

The muggers took away his mobile phone and Tk 3,000, according to a case filed later.

Yesterday, police arrested two suspects aged 16 and 17 in the Jatrabari area. Officers said they stabbed Kamrul because he tried to hold on to his phone.

On August 27, muggers stabbed and killed Zarraf Ahmed, a software engineer, in Darussalam area.

He was returning home after visiting his parents in Naogaon. From the bus stop, he took a rickshaw which the muggers intercepted around 5:00am. As he tried to protect his belongings, they stabbed him and took away his phone, laptop and cash, police said.

The gangs typically target individuals returning from abroad or are alone at late-night hours, officials said.

The gangs sometimes use motorcycles and flee after snatching mobile, cash, handbags, ornaments and other valuables by brandishing guns or knives.

Naimur Rahman, a photographer with the Ittefaq, was mugged and assaulted in the Mohammadpur area November 13 night.

"I was on foot. Four or five men blocked my path and dragged me into an alley and hit me. One of them had a machete. The muggers took my camera, backup batteries, phone, and cash," he told The Daily Star.

Mohammadpur police later arrested four suspects and could recover the camera only.

Law enforcers say when the interim government made a major reshuffle in DMP many officers from outside were posted in the capital.

These officers lack experience with urban crime patterns and familiarity with hotspots, streets, and neighborhoods. They also do not have reliable networks of informants. Senior officers believe it may take a long time to address these challenges.

Lt Col Munim Ferdous, legal and media wing director at Rab, said, "We are analysing the locations and times of these incidents. Based on this data, battalions are being deployed to intensify patrols, strengthen checkpoints, and increase other activities in those areas.

"Rab is also analysing its database to find out whether new individuals are getting involved in mugging."

On December 15, Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said, "We have asked the police to increase patrolling [in early hours] to decrease mugging."

Yesterday, DMP Commissioner Sazzat said, "Mugging has increased recently. The muggers mainly target mobile phones.

"You have to take care of your mobile phones and handbags when you are walking on the street or shopping or having snacks on the footpaths."