With the law enforcers failing to hunt down arsonists and bomb suppliers despite their joint operations common people are coming forward at the risk of their lives to catch criminals.
Law enforces declared bounties on miscreants’ heads to encourage people while criminologists believe such initiatives by locals can permanently stop criminal acts like arson and bomb attacks on people.
In a latest incident in the port city of Chittagong yesterday locals caught a Chhatra Shibir activist from Tin Pol area while he was fleeing after exploding a bomb.
They later handed him over to police.
The detainee is Sabby Hossain Nokib, 22, a first-year BBA student of Chittagong International University.
The incident took place around 1pm, says Md Kamruzzaman, sub-inspector of Kotowali police of Chittagong.
Just a day earlier, locals in Fatulla of Narayanganj, caught, beat up and handed over to police three Shibir cadres while they were torching a passenger bus with petrol bombs around 1pm at Kashipur area of Narayangaj-Munshiganj Road.
Mohammad Sazzadur Rahman, additional superintendent of police, says the arrestees were identified as Mahmud, 25, Fatulla unit Shibir chief Shihab Uddin, 19, and Abu Sayeed, 35.
Encouraging the role of people in catching criminals Director General of RAB Benazir Ahmed in an immediate reaction said they would reward those people who helped law enforcers arrest the three arsonists in Narayanganj on Saturday.
Rumman Mahmud, additional director of legal and media wing of RAB, in a text message yesterday announced that the reward money would be given away around 11am on Monday at Gulistan.
Last Friday two Shibir men – Moshiur Rahman, 23, and Abdul Awal, 20, – were handed over to police by locals while they were setting fire to a bus in Tanor of Rajshahi at 7pm, says Anowar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Tanor police station.
In the capital, police with the help of locals arrested three arsonists – one from Gulistan, one from Sahabagh and one from Mirpur – while they were setting fire to a passenger bus.
Since January 6 the arsonists and bombers arrested are very few in number compared to the large-scale violence unleashed across the country.
However, Benazir Ahmed, DG of RAB, is not willing to accept this notion.
He said they had taken different initiatives to arrest miscreants and they had also been able to arrest some of them.
Benazir said they announced reward in a bid to involve common people in arresting criminals.
Prof Ziaur Rahman, chairman of Criminology Department of Dhaka University, appreciated people’s spontaneous move to catch arsonists.
Soon after a crime miscreants use hideouts with the help of common people and once locals start to hand them over to law enforcers the crimes will be curbed significantly, he says.
According to police headquarters sources, nearly 800 cases have been filed and 7,500 people arrested over the last 24 days in connection with those cases.
However, most of the bomb suppliers and arsonists are still untraced.
Intelligence sources said most of the arsonists are hired goons. They are usually paid Tk500 to 1500 for blasting bombs while the rate is Tk500 to 3000 for petrol bombs.
Three groups take part in attacks. One group supply bomb-making materials, another manufactures bombs while the other explode those in public places, said sources in the law enforcement agencies.
Law enforcers have already made a list of arsonists and bomb-makers across the country. Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chittagong and Sylhet divisions top the list.
According to the list, over a hundred bomb makers are active in the capital while nearly 18 organised groups are carrying out arson attacks in exchange for money.
Over the last 20 days at least 30 incidents of crude bomb blasts have been reported in the capital.
Krishna Pada Roy, deputy commissioner of Detective Branch of Police, said a list of bomb makers and suppliers including the arsonists had already been prepared and action is under way.
The Dhaka Tribune managed to get some names of arsonists who have reportedly blasted Molotov cocktails.
The names include Habibul Bashar, Parvez, Pavel, Arman, Rakibul Islam Roky, Sohel of Old Dhaka areas, Iqbal Hossain of Shahabgh area, Khilgaon area’s Aladudin Chowdhury, Kamrangirchar’s Kayser Ahmed Sohel, Abdul Malek, Bongshal’s Abdur Rahman and Mohammadpur area’s Harunur Rashid and Farhan Rahman.
As per the list Kamal along with Jubayer, Foysal and Jitu make bombs in Chackbazar, Bipu, Akther, Mamun and Babu in Badda, Mukut, Shimul, Sharif, Chancal, Ibrahim and Shah Alam in Wari, Shakil, Faruk, Firoz in Narinda, Mizan and Masum in Jatrabari, Billal and Rana in Shampur, Taizu, Razib and Babu in Sutrapur, Mamun, Faruk and Shamim in Kadamtoli and Robin and Sajal in Sayedabad.
Contacted, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, state minister for home, yesterday said strict order was given to law enforcers to take action against the miscreants and everyone involved in violence would be brought to book.
