Citizens’ safety must come first
We are concerned about the rise in crimes allegedly linked to the release of several top criminals from jail following the fall of the Awami League government. Reportedly, on September 20, a 26-year-old mason named Nasir Biswas was stabbed to death by a group of criminals. The victim's brother alleged that associates of Imamul Hasan Helal, also known as Pichchi Helal, were responsible for the murder—due to past enmity—and filed a case in this connection. Helal was listed in 2001 as one of the top 23 criminals in the country. Then a Chhatra Dal dealer, he was arrested on January 12, 2000, and released on bail on August 16 of this year.
According to the Department of Prisons, Helal is among the 43 top criminals and militants who secured bail in various cases since August 5. After his release, several residents of Mohammadpur have reported that his associates have been intimidating local business owners to assert their control in the area. Other top criminals who have secured bail include Abbas Ali, also known as Killer Abbas of Mirpur; Sheikh Mohammad Aslam, known as Sweden Aslam of Tejgaon; Sanjidul Islam, known as Emon of Hazaribagh; Khandaker Nayeem Ahmed, known as Tipton; and Khorshed Alam, also known as Rasu or Freedom Rasu. Some of them were also on the home ministry's 2001 list of top criminals and have been accused in numerous cases, including for murder and attempted murder.
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Jail is supposed to be a place to not just punish convicts, but to also reform their criminal tendencies so that they are fit for social reintegration when the time comes. But exploiting our poor prison system, notorious criminals, far from going down that path, often control criminal activities from within the jail. We are now getting a sense of what they can do if released on bail, unreformed. Police sources have already reported that another top criminal, Ibrahim Khalil, alias Killer Ibrahim, who had been hiding abroad, returned home after mid-August and resumed his activities. A leader of Bhashantek Slum stated that Ibrahim's associates have already begun extortion, threatening arson and vandalism.
Unfortunately, the police still seem too preoccupied with their internal issues caused after the regime change to closely monitor these top criminals and ensure that they don't break any laws again. As a result, the safety of ordinary citizens is being compromised. This cannot be allowed to happen. The government must instruct all security forces to closely monitor and prevent any criminal activities by those released on bail. And those found to be breaking bail conditions must be held accountable.
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