Police detains 505 mugging suspects within 1 week of 'special' drive

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested 505 mugging suspects in the capital in the first week of July during 'special' drives after Eid-ul-Azha.

Earlier, on 1 July, Police constable Moniruzzaman Talukder was stabbed to death by muggers on 1 July in Farmgate area when he returned to the capital from his village in Sherpur after the Eid vacation, which prompted the DMP to start the drive against muggers.

Two days before the incident, a journalist of a private television channel Rakibul Hasan Rana was stabbed by muggers in front of the BTV office in Rampura.

Around 208 cases were lodged in police stations of the capital over the arrests, according to the statistics provided by the DMP on Sunday, showing that the arrests were made between 1-7 July.

Of the eight crime divisions, the Tejgaon division – where cases of mugging and snatching are prevalent – made the highest number of cases and arrests. 

The division arrested 187 people in 73 cases, while Lalbagh division arrested 73 people in 35 cases, Mirpur division arrested 66 people in 32 cases, Ramna division arrested 46 people in 23 cases, Uttara Division arrested 51 people in 10 cases, Motijheel division arrested 44 people in 15 cases, Wari division arrested 27 people in 13 cases and Gulshan division arrested 11 people in seven cases.

Addressing allegations that victims feel discouraged to file mugging cases as police stations are often reluctant in taking these, DMP Commissioner Khandaker Golam Faruq instructed police officials to file mugging cases on their own even if the victims do not want to.

The data further showed that only eight people were arrested in mugging cases while 497 people were arrested in cases in connection with robbery or attempted mugging.

In 2022, at least 1,603 incidents of theft, 145 mugging and 27 robberies took place in the capital. Till April of this year, 61 incidents of mugging and 10 robberies took place in Dhaka.