With Dhaka being the most overpopulated city in the country, one can't help but find themself whiling away hour after hour,stuck in traffic snarl ups. Some blame it on the neighbouring car that refuses to budge, some on the randomly parked rickshaw, while most of us just love to point fingers at the government and blame them for leaving us stranded in traffic. Right when we think it's bad enough being stuck in traffic, in comes the issues of street urchins and beggars that clamour for your attention, some gently knocking on your windows while others cry out in pleas of desperation. While those attacks are the kinds we are used to, there are those that take things up a notch, making traffic jams a playground for creative theft to pickpocketing to robbery. Today we look at the top five kinds of attacks we come under when stuck in Dhaka's streets.
The everyday attack These ones are probably the best of their lot, because of their gentle way of asking. They either randomly creep up next to your window or just stand there, haggard and sorry-faced, allowing their expression do most of the talking. They'll resort to two things: they'll either politely ask you for a taka or two, or they'll stand there with hands outstretched waiting until you tire of them.
The hawks What are they, you ask? When your rickshaw is moving at a relatively slow pace or is stationary, your phone, bag or some other valuable item will be snatched from you before you even know it. The best part is you won’t have the foggiest clue of who or what took your belongings. These ones are masters of their art, keeping a look out for those travellers that are absentminded with their phones, ready to launch their attack the second they look away from their belongings. A more interesting form of these ones are the ones that climb atop CNG-run auto-rickshaws, cut open a slit on the roof and snatch your phone before they make a run for it.
The out-of-controls Once in a blue moon, if you’re really unlucky you’ll come across those kinds of out-of-controls that take street ragging to a whole new level. Usually these kinds have a certain kind of trade – they're the snake charmers that threaten to throw their snakes at you, or worse they can also be the faeces attackers. Yes, you heard that right. While the former can be chased away with money or refusal to pay, the latter will throw human faeces at you until you have agreed to their demands. Or worse, they will stand there till you can't deal with the stench of their weapon of choice. Eithe way, they win and you lose.
The “mollom” party
The most dangerous of the lot, these night riders come equipped with the deadliest form of attacks. Usually targetting autorickshaw and rickshaw travellers, the “mollom” party are the one's who've inspired auto-rickshaws to install metal gates. Although these kinds of attacks aren't as common place as before, they have transcended to taking place in rickshaws that travel late into the night rather than CNG run autorickshaws. They usually follow targetted travellers, corner them to a generally quite, dark street before they proceed to smudge a blinding concoction on their eyes, before robbing them of their belongings.
The mafia robber
The ultimate attacker of the night, the mafia robber is one that means business. He comes armed with both information on your whereabouts as well as weapons of his choice. Usually coming in groups of three to five, they are planned robbers that are in it to make it big. No petty theft of wallets or phones, rather, they are after your most valuable possession: your car. They use a handful of interesting techniques beginning with throwing eggs at your windshield (so you're forced to stop your car) to feigning an accident on the streets. Some even come in their own cars that overtake the car to be robbed before quickly launching an attack. The only way to be wary of these kinds is to be constantly on the lookout for suspicious behaviour.