Ismail Hossain is known as a businessman and the owner of a car showroom in the capital’s Baridhara.
However, the police detectives who arrested him on July 4 reveal that the imposter’s car business is based on stolen vehicles and he had been leading a gang of car thieves, comprising of at least 50 members.
Some Detective Branch (DB) officers arrested Ismail, 38, and an associate, Md Hanif Mridha on July 4 with four stolen cars in their possession.
Ismail, whose hometown is in Ramganj upazila of Laxmipur, completed his MBA from Jagannath University.
“The gang led by Ismail works in several groups according to their expertise. One group steals vehicles, while other specialises in changing the numbers of engines and chassis,” Md Raihanul Islam, Senior Assistant Commissioner of the DB (North) said. “Another group is involved forging documents in association with some rogue employees of the BRTA,” he added.
The senior assistant commissioner said, “Ismail has been leading the gang for the last three years. His car showroom is called Royal Auto Care, located at the capital’s posh area Baridhara. There he also had a garage. We have closed them down.”
“We seized four cars from the possession of Ismail and his associate Md Hanif Mridha. We already returned two of the four cars to their owners and are looking for the owners of the other two vehicles.” Raihanul further informed.
He said they were trying to arrest other members of Ismail’s gang.
Raihanul Islam also said that in a separate drive, the DB had arrested two members of another gang at the capital’s Dholaipar on July 1 and upon information, they had seized eight stolen CNG-run auto-rickshaws from a garage at Hospital Intersection on Tangail-Mymensingh Road in Ghatail, Tangail.
Police say at least 60 gangs of car lifters comprising of around 600-800 people are active across the capital and 70 to 100 vehicles are stolen every month.
According to Dhaka Metropolitan Police, 79 vehicles were stolen last May, 64 in April, 94 in March, 89 in February and 82 in January.
The DMP statistics also reveal that 2,094 vehicles were stolen in the city in the last three years but law enforcers could recover only 693 stolen vehicles and arrest 1,397 suspects.
“We often recover stolen cars and arrest the criminals, but they resume their old business as soon as they come out on bail,” said Raihanul Islam.
“Billal Hossain, the leader of one such gang, was arrested 36 times but was bailed out every time and resumed his crimes,” said Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman of the DMP Media wing.
The DC said Billal’s gang had stolen around 200 vehicles in the last 15 years.
The government on August 10 made installation of global positioning systems mandatory for all motor vehicles to prevent car theft and ensure road safety.
Several private companies are already providing GPS support on a small scale with licenses obtained from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.