42 snatchers held; 74 mobile handsets seized in Dhaka
Detectives made a list of mobile phone parts shops involved in selling the snatched phone sets to curb the incidents
The Detective Branch (DB) of police arrested 42 suspected members of a snatcher gang and seized 74 mobile phone sets from different areas in the capital on Friday night.
"Following the rise of snatching incidents, several DB teams raided different areas of the capital simultaneously and arrested them," Abdul Baten, additional commissioner of DB, said in a press conference at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's media center on Saturday.
He said the snatcher-gang does not sell the stolen phone sets directly. It takes them apart and sell the different parts to mobile-phone parts shops. They get more money by selling parts than by selling the whole mobile set.
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Police made a list of mobile-phone parts shops involved in selling the stolen phone parts to curb the incidents, Abdul Baten added.
He further said that a number of city streets are dark because lampposts there are not working properly. The snatchers used to commit the crimes in those areas. So, we should focus on it to curb the incidents.
Since most of the snatching incidents occurred in terminal areas in the mornings, police have stepped-up surveillance there, the DB official said.
Asked about Tarina Begum's death after falling off a rickshaw while she was being mugged near the Kamalapur railway station on Saturday morning, the DB additional commissioner said, "We are investigating the matter. People involved in the incident must face the law."
Responding to another query, Abdul Baten said, "We are investigating the allegations against expelled Jubo Mohila League leader Papiya. We have found evidence supporting the allegations made against her. We will disclose the matter later."
