Incidents of mugging and robbery have marked a sharp rise in and around Sylhet city as a number of listed criminals have recently got bail.
Nazrul Islam, a resident of Sadar upazila, said a panic situation had been prevailing in the city. He said: “Recently my uncle faced mugging and he also got hurt during the mugging incident.”
Acting Metropolitan Police Commissioner SM Rokon Uddin said recently about 20 listed criminals got bail from the court and they had been involved in mugging and robbery again.
“We are trying to nab the culprits. We have already arrested a dozen of muggers so far,” said Rokon Uddin.
Nizam Ahmed, a resident of Kazir Gaon area, said criminals were taking advantage of lax monitoring by law enforcement agencies. He also urged the authorities concerned to take the matter seriously.
On October 19, a gang of robbers cutting grill of a window entered the flat of a Qatar expatriate in Bonkolapara area and robbed 45 tolas of gold bars and Tk1 lakh in cash.
The police commissioner said muggers had adopted a new strategy of hunting bearers of large amount of money and that was they swooped people when they came out of banks after withdrawing money. Recently, three incidents happened in this way.
On 16 October, a gang of muggers snatched Tk6 lakh from two tea garden staff near Mazumdari Jame Mosque in Lechubagan area.
On October 14, snatchers mugged Tk1.16 lakh from a shopkeeper of city’s Kalighat area while he was returning from his shop after withdrawing money from Islami Bank, Taltola Branch.
Snatchers also took away Tk50,000 from an NGO activist Ratna Begum in city’s Dorgibond area, Tk7,000 from a CNG-run auto rickshaw driver Shamsul Haque in Badaghat area and Tk30,000 from a pharmacy owner Rashed Ahmed in Ragib Rabeya Medical College area recently.
On October 5, a gang bandits attacked three houses and looted Tk30 lakh cash, 135 grams of gold jewellery and other valuables in Doyarbazar area of Sylhet’s Companyganj.
Locals said the robbers came to the area on three boats using the Dholai River.
SM Rokon Uddin, acting commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police, said drives were on to arrest criminals.
“Today we have detained Polash Ahmed, an alleged snatcher, in the city.”