Sales of fake cosmetics, ornaments in bus and launch terminals on rise

A section of peddlers and dishonest people have been allegedly selling fake cosmetics and ornaments to waiting passengers at bus and launch terminals.   However, this section is making money by fooling the passengers and continuing their business allegedly by collaborating with on duty law enforcers. One Omar Faruk said he had bought a fake gold watch from the Banglabazar intersection while he was going to the capital’s Sadarghat Launch Terminal.   “A young man stopped me and showed me a golden watch, saying that he wanted to sell it to make money in order to go home as he claimed to have lost his wallet. He demanded Tk500 for the watch, which I bought for only Tk220 but found it to be fake when I got onto the launch,” he said.   In an investigation, the Dhaka Tribune found that there are around eight organised groups in the capital’s Sayedabad bus terminal, 20 at the Gabtoli and Kallyanpur bus terminals and five at the Sadarghat bus terminal conducting this illegal business.   At the Sadarghat terminal, a local goon named Mintu Mia, a resident of the Kamrangirchar slum, leads the Sadarghat terminal groups, while Sohel and Uzzal, residents of Mohakhali Sattola Slum, lead the groups that are active at the Sayedabad bus terminal.   Minhazul Islam, assistant police commissioner of Demra division told the Dhaka Tribune that police often arrest such criminals and try their best to stop such irregularities.   He, however, refused the allegations of police’s involvement in such crimes and said law enforcers were working day and night to help the passengers.   On the other hand, Abu Bakkar Siddique, officer-in-charge of Kotwali police station said public awareness in this regard can put an end to such illegal businesses.   Meanwhile, Officer-in-Charge of Tejgaon Industrial police station Moniruzzaman Mia said: “These criminals are mostly drug users. So we release them after giving a through beating, but they come back after a few days.”   When asked, Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police headquarters Anowar Hossain said such illegal businesses have significantly reduced, adding that law enforcers often send such criminals to jail but they join the businesses again after being released. He further requested the passengers not to take such products from such kind of peddlers.