A sleepless night standing up to robbers
In the early hours of 8 August, residents and students collectively stood together – and communicated with the army – to fend off dacoits invading their areas or the possibility of it
Mohammad Rafat Imran, a resident of Darus Salam in the capital, kept a close eye on various social media communities and groups. In the early hours of Thursday, he began receiving reports that many areas of Mirpur were under attack by miscreants.
First, it was in ECB Chattar and Kalshi, where over 300 outsiders were allegedly looting and vandalising residential houses. Then, the chaos spread to Mirpur 6. Anticipating that his area might be next, Imran quickly rushed to the intercom and instructed the security guard to inform everyone in their apartment that an attack could be imminent.
Hasib Ahmed, a resident of Razia Sultana Road in Mohammadpur, was surprised – along with others – to see not just young men but also women and senior citizens emerging from their homes to help patrol and protect their neighbourhoods.
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The Muazzin at the nearby mosque also made an announcement, warning that dacoits might be approaching. Soon, dozens of people in the neighbourhood took to the streets, prepared to face whatever came next together.
Around 3.30 am, a group of robbers did indeed arrive in their locality. Although most of them were armed, the vigilance of the local community prevented them from causing much harm.
"Had I not kept myself updated on what was happening in the nearby regions, we could have been caught completely off guard when our neighbourhood was attacked," Imran shared with The Business Standard.
Similar incidents occurred in Mirpur 13. Around 2 am, Sakif Al Sadi Khan, a resident of the neighbourhood, was sitting on his balcony listening to music when he suddenly heard noises nearby. Soon after, the sounds of gunshots echoed from both sides of their housing complex, with as many as 15 rounds being fired.
Suddenly, three young men, aged between 25 and 30, ran in. They pleaded for help showing their student ID cards. "We are students, please help," they shouted. But as soon as the gates of the housing complex were opened, they pulled out revolvers and Ramdas (large curved knives) and attempted to take control of the entire building.
"Once they were let in, they showed their true colours. They threatened to kill us if we didn't allow them to enter the nearby Rakeen Bijoy City," Sakif recounted. "By this time, their other accomplices also attempted to enter the housing complex."
Thankfully, the residents of the complex, who had come out by this time, rallied together and managed to drive the dacoits away. The rest of the night passed rather peacefully, as the younger members of the complex remained vigilant, staying awake and patrolling the area until dawn.
Army personnel also arrived at around 4 am.
If the situation in Mirpur was critical, the intensity in Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur and surrounding areas was likely even more severe. Hasib Ahmed, a resident of Razia Sultana Road in Mohammadpur, recounted that around 1 am, he heard alarming news: Mohammadpur Housing Limited was under attack.
"Then I started scrolling through my newsfeed and saw many posts claiming that most of the area, from Mohammadpur Bus Stand to Bosila, as well as Jigatola and other parts of Dhanmondi, were under attack," he said.
Soon, he and some of his flatmates armed themselves with sticks and went out to patrol the area. They were surprised to see not just young men but also women and senior citizens emerging from their homes to help patrol and protect their neighbourhoods.
A viral video, reportedly filmed in Dhanmondi last night, showed many young men patrolling the area in high-end cars. When they spotted several men—likely miscreants—trying to flee, they quickly sped up to catch the robbers.
"There were also some young boys with drone cameras to check if any part of the area was still under attack," said Hasib. People from all walks of life in the locality stayed on alert to protect the neighbourhood until dawn.
At one point, the atmosphere became almost celebratory, with half the locality still awake. Some young men brought out cricket bats and balls, playing cricket on the streets throughout the night.
Another rather amusing incident occurred in Mohammadpur when one patrolling group mistakenly chased another, thinking they were miscreants. It was later revealed that an actual group of miscreants, before being apprehended, had discarded their revolvers and chapatis near a volunteer patrolling group to frame them and create confusion.
Rezwan Rahman Sadid, a resident of Uttara, reported that massive looting occurred in the residences and shops adjacent to the main road in Sector 11. As these incidents unfolded, the Muazzin of a mosque in Sector 10 began announcing around 1:30 am that vandalism was taking place in the nearby sector.
"This prevented the miscreants from entering Sector 10," Sadid shared. He added that other areas of Uttara, including Sector 12, Kamarpara, Dewan Bari and Adam Ali Market, were also attacked between midnight and 1.30 a.m.
"Since 1.30 a.m., people all over Uttara were out on the streets patrolling for the remainder of the night. The army, however, arrived too late, at 3 am," Sadid informed.
Several claimed that some miscreants, caught in ECB Chattar and Uttara, were members of the Jubo League and Chhatra League – and they were paid by their party high-ups to carry out robberies. We couldn't independently verify this claim.
Meanwhile, although other parts of the capital were safe on Thursday night, residents still endured a sleepless night, worried that a similar incident could occur at any moment.
Umme Pritam, a resident in Khilgaon, said that nothing happened in his area on Thursday night. "I was still up all night worrying what if they come seeing all the posts circulating on Facebook," she said.
She also mentioned that some students had stayed awake all night the previous day to guard their block. "They even thanked us for providing them with shelter during the protest when the Chhatra League attacked them on 4 August."
Sumia Zahid Lira, a resident of Middle Badda, said that although nothing harmful has occurred in their locality since 5 August, they have still been experiencing sleepless nights. "Yesterday, I went to sleep at 5 am. My husband and I were probably safe, but my parents in Uttara and my friends in Jigatola were at risk," Lira said.
And even though Dhaka's situation came under control at around 3 am, she soon got to know from her in-laws in Jhalokathi that several districts in Barishal could soon be under attack. "Until law and order are restored in our country, we can't really feel safe and secure," she lamented.
Residents of Rampura, Banasree and Moghbazar also shared that they couldn't sleep for the most part of the night, as they spent their time browsing social media platforms to stay informed about the situation in the rest of the city.
In the absence of proper law and order, ordinary people are turning to social media to create communities and stay connected. This allows them to share real-time updates about different localities and provide assistance as quickly as possible.
Among these communities are Citizens Against Mob Purge and Citizens in Action. Ahmed, one of the creators of Citizens in Action, mentioned that they have been working closely with the army and have established groups for nearly every major locality in the capital. Through the efforts of these groups, they have been able to provide assistance in at least 60 cases.
"My advice to the general public is to stay united during this time of crisis. Set up neighbourhood watches and create a network of your own so that if any issues arise, you can handle them collectively," Ahmed said.
