Police have urged the public to be cautious, especially at night, as muggers may be emboldened by the empty streets caused by the fear over Covid-19 pandemic.
Fewer people on the streets mean fewer witnesses in the case of a crime, making it more difficult to track down culprits.
Monir Hossain, 22, was stabbed to death by a mugger at Banani’s Shetu Bhaban area around 11pm on March 19. No one has been arrested over the incident although efforts to identify the perpetrator are underway, said Banani police OC Noor e Azam Miah.
Meanwhile, Kafrul police station ASI Jahangir Alam was crushed to death under the wheels of a running bus while chasing a robber in the Agargaon area of Dhaka around 8:30pm on March 18. Although police have arrested the bus driver and helper, the mugger is yet to be found.
On February 29, Tarina Begum Lipi was critically injured when a mugger snatched her bag near Bir Shrestha Shaheed Shipahi Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Mugda. She later succumbed to her injuries.
The Detective Branch of police arrested four of the suspected muggers on March 14, and the prime accused was killed in a “gunfight” in Kilgaon on March 16.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) filed 19 robbery cases and 203 theft cases in January. In February, they filed 19 robbery cases and 187 theft cases. It remains to be seen whether there has been a significant increase since the first coronavirus cases were identified in the country on March 8.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan has urged everyone to be alert during the coronavirus lockdown.
“Police surveillance has been increased on the empty streets to prevent mugging, stealing and other crimes,” he said.
Some victims claim police are not very interested in the recovery of stolen goods in most cases, while police sources said many culprits return to their criminal ways after securing bail.
