Drugging gangsters and muggers keep prowling the city streets, intensifying their drive before Durga Puja and Eid-ul-Azha, with about a hundred incident recorded in about 10 days.
In the latest such incident, an unnamed person died in Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Friday morning. He was drugged and robbed at night on October 9.Law enforcers are also falling victim to such drugging. Police subinspector Abdus Sattar rescued the unnamed man unconscious from the Moghbazar crossing on the night.
Abul Basar, a member on the National Security Intelligence staff, was drugged in front of Bismillah Hotel at Jatrabari on Friday night. The police later rescued him unconscious and sent him to the DMCH about 10:00pm.
In another case on Friday afternoon, police subinspector Abdul Hamid, 48, was drugged, robbed and left abandoned unconscious at Abdullahpur. He is admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital after being rescued by constable Hasan Ali.
Md Salim, 38, a constable and driver of police inspector, was drugged on October 8. ‘I was headed for the house of my senior. Suddenly, a group of five to six people stopped me. They rubbed a balm on my eyes and I fell unconscious. I later found myself in a hospital bed. They took away Tk 47,000 I had,’ he added.
DMCH officials said that about hundred people being drugged and mugged were admitted to the hospital in 10 to 12 days.
On October 9, at least 12 victims of drugging were admitted to the DMCH. On October 8, the figure was 10.
At night on October 8, muggers stabbed a hotel manager at Tejgaon and took away Tk 25,000 and a mobile from him.
A businessman, Niyamatullah, 30, was abducted, drugged and robbed off Tk over 9 lakh.
Niyamatullah after withdrawing the money from a bank branch at Dilkusha was headed for Jatrabari.
A microbus stopped him and forced him to get into the car. The gangsters rubbed balm on his eyes and took everything from him before leaving him in front of the Dhalpur Community Centre.
Miscreants stabbed a couple and looted Tk 35,000 and ornaments from them at Fatullah in Narayanganj on October 6.
Md Sohel Rana, a 31-year-old motorcycle trader at Gulshan Natun Bazar, was drugged and mugged on October 9 in front of the American embassy when he was headed home. The gang escaped with Tk 80,000 that he had.
‘How pitiable is law and order in the city? You can get mugged in high-security area such as the diplomatic zone at Gulshan,’ Sohel said.
Muggers start prowling the roads just after dusk, especially in Ramna, Moghbazar, Kamalapur and Jatrabari areas, the police said.
Data available with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police also suggest an increase in the number of drugging incidents.
In this August, 11 such incidents are recorded to have happened in the capital while the figure was 6 in July but none in June and May.
DMCH officials said that the figure would be much higher as in most of cases, people do not file any complaints with the police.
People feared that the situation might worsen in view of the cattle markets set up in the city before Eid where traders from across the country gather to sell sacrificial animals.
Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) of the DMP, told New Age that these were isolated incidents and they were alerted to such incidents.
He said that the police had announced that they would provide escort for the transfer of money if they were asked for.
The Rapid Action Battalion’s media and legal wing director ATM Habibur Rahman that said people might get panicked as there were some sensational incidents. ‘Law and order, otherwise, is under control.’
-With New Age input
