Robberies, murders and teenage gangs plague Mohammadpur

On October 21, CCTV footage of a robbery incident in Mohammadpur went viral, shocking residents.

The video shows a young university student walking down a street in the Nobodoy Housing area around 6:30 am. Suddenly, a group of young men brandishing machetes appeared behind her and blocked her path.

They demanded her bag, but when she resisted, they tried to injure her.

In a desperate struggle, the robbers managed to snatch her bag before the young woman fled the scene.

The viral video has instilled fear in the residents of Mohammadpur, especially women, who now dare not go out even in broad daylight.

Residents report a significant deterioration in law and order in Mohammadpur since August 5, with a sharp increase in crime, including robberies and murders.

Since then, at least ten people have been killed in the area, allegedly linked to political domination and drug trafficking. Criminals openly brandish automatic weapons, and shootings have become commonplace.

Due to the rising crime rate, local residents do not dare to step out of their homes after dark unless absolutely necessary, especially in the surrounding areas of Mohammadpur, including Chand Udyan, Bosil and Ring Road areas. They avoid carrying expensive items such as mobile phones, bank cards and large sums of money if they have to go out.

On the morning of October 20, six criminals blocked a Nestlé company car at Mohammadi Housing Limited and looted Tk 11.85 lakh.

Earlier, on the night of October 11, armed robbers disguised as army and RAB operatives entered a businessman’s house in Mohammadpur, looting Tk 7.5 lakh and 60 bhori of gold jewellery.

On October 24, robbers barged into a grocery store in the 40-foot area of ​​Basila in Mohammadpur, took the shopkeeper hostage at gunpoint and fled with all the cash.

After August 5, the day of Hasin’s regime fell in the conditions of a mass uprising, law and order began to deteriorate due to the absence of militia at the stations. Although the police later returned, the situation remains out of control.

Recently, temporary military camps were deployed in the area along with the police and RAB to ensure the safety of lives and property.

Law enforcement officers explain the difficulties in controlling the situation by various factors, in particular, the lack of manpower and patrol cars. However, they assure that measures are being taken to curb the escalation of crime.

According to them, if sufficient force and resources were available, such activities could be more effectively controlled.

Last week, the army arrested several identified terrorists and extortionists during a special operation to combat the escalation of the situation.

Most robberies in remote areas, “Mughal territory” is safer

In Mohammadpur, affluent residential areas named after the Mughal period, such as Iqbal Road, Taj Mahal Road and Shershah Suri Road, have a relatively low level of robbery due to increased police vigilance, locals and police said.

On the contrary, areas like Chand Udyan, Chandrima Housing and the surrounding areas of Ring Road and Basila are more prone to such incidents.

Saqlain Rizvi, a resident of Mohammadpur, said that the central part of Mohammadpur and neighboring areas, Dhanmondi and Lalmatia, have lower crime rates.

However, it highlights the higher risk on the outskirts of Mohammadpur, where most residents avoid going out at night for safety reasons.

In the last two weeks, there have been ten cases of robbery in the areas of Soarighat Beribadh Road, Beribad Four Road Junction, Bosila and Gabtali Bridge. on Mohammadpur-Ghabtali Road.

Khandkar Rafi, a resident of Bosila, narrated the incident that took place on October 19 at around 3:30 p.m.

According to him, three members of his dining room were returning home from a nearby restaurant when they were ambushed by a group of 9-10 youths armed with large sharp weapons. The assailants looted their belongings, including two mobile phones and about Tk9,000 in cash, before fleeing the scene.

The robbery victim, who wished to remain anonymous, said he was riding a rickshaw at Bosila 40 Feet area on October 18 at around 10pm when a group of robbers intercepted the vehicle and robbed him of his mobile phone and wallet.

Mohammadpur Police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Iftekhar Hasan said that the police are actively working to control the situation and nab the criminals.

Sending teenage groups

Teenage gang culture has long been a problem in Mohammadpur, p its elements involved in various criminal activities.

Local residents report that these gangs once united with The Chhatra League and the Jubo League have adapted to the changing political landscape since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5. Now they are actively involved in thefts, robberies and robberies.

On the night of October 27, the army launched a special operation in Mohammadpur, arresting about 40 members of various teenage gangs. Many of the detainees had distinctive tattoos, and some had double star symbols.

A series of murders

On September 20, two people, Nasir Biswas (29) and Munna (22), were found brutally murdered in the waterfront area near Rayerbazar Boddhobhoomi in Mohammadpur. Both victims were associated with the same gang.

Naseer, a mason by profession, was known for his association with the Awami League in Mohammadpur-Hazaribagh district. This was revealed by police investigations he had used this affiliation to extort money and deal drugs.

Munna had a criminal past, involved in at least eight drug and sabotage cases. Nasir was involved in two drug-related cases.

Three days after the incident, a case was registered against six persons, including known terrorist Imamul Hasan Helal alias Pikchi Helal, at the Mohammadpur police station.

On the same day, 23-year-old Miraj Molla was arrested in connection with this case.

On September 1, Billal Ghazi, an employee of Akash Neela Western Housing, was brutally murdered in Nobodoy Housing. in Mohammadpur.

On September 17, Shahadat Hossain was beaten to death at Three Road Junction in Green View Housing, Mohammadpur.

Also, CNG driver Shahriar Ashiq (21) died in Bosila 40-Feet Aram Housing area, Mohammadpur.

Following the incident, his father filed a complaint at the Mohammadpur police station. Later, the police detained 14 people in connection with the case.

History of underworld rule 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 Swede 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 Shakeel, who was shot while holding his mother’s hand near Nazneen School in East Rajabazar, Farmgate.

Five days after Shakil’s murder, he took control of eight halls of Dhaka University in one night to assert his dominance. After this capture, the name Aslam became synonymous with terror.

After committing more than a dozen murders, he fled to Sweden, earning the nickname “Swedish Aslam”.

Later in jail, he faced at least 12 cases, the latest of which was in connection with the killing of League leader Jubo Ghalib of Tejgaon on March 23, 1997. On September 3, he was released on bail.

Among the top 23 criminals, Pikchi Helal and Sanjidul Islam Imon allegedly continued extortion in Mohammadpur’s transport sector and footpaths even from jail. Helal is reported to have returned to criminal activity after his recent release.

Another major terrorist from Mohammadpur was Tofail Ahmed Joseph, a former Chhatra League leader. His elder brother, Major General Aziz Ahmed, served as Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and later as Chief of Army Staff.

Joseph, the youngest of five siblings, entered politics under his elder brother Haris Ahmed, a former member of the Jatiya Party who later joined the Jubo League and served as ward 44 councillor.

Subsequently, Joseph established a reign of terror in Mohammadpur Hazaribagh and surrounding areas 1990sjoining the notorious Group of Seven Stars led by Subrata Bain.

During this 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 pardon reduced his life sentence.