Ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, dope gangs are employing a new trick to drug people on buses and stealing everything they have on them, according to police.
Dope gangs are nothing new in Bangladesh, especially during Ramadan and they have become increasingly bold and inventive in their tactics by injecting sleeping pills in juice bottles, water and food sold by street near bus stands where people buy their last minute iftar before getting on a bus.
Police said the new tactic used by these dope gangs is to team up with street vendors near bus stands where unsuspecting people buy something to eat, drink on a bus just in case they are stuck in traffic during iftar. They then follow these people onto the bus. Once the drugs take effect, the victim is robbed of their mobile phone, money and all other valuables.
On June 3, Dr Ahlam Chishtia, inspector of drugs at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) fell prey to a doping gang in Banani Chairmanbari area at 11pm. He was on his way to Dhaka from Narsingdi on a bus. Police rushed him to DMCH where he was able to recover from the effects of the drugs.
Shahbagh police also rescued a heavily drugged unconscious man near the British Council in Fuller Road in Dhaka on June 3.
Police said juice, coffee, tea, halua, chocolate-biscuits, dates, coconut water, cigarettes and beatle leaf sold by street vendors are usually mixed with sleeping pills near bus stands.
Detective Branch has arrested 11 dope gang member on June 4 and another 15 on June 10 from Jurain, Paltan, Fakirapul, Mouchack and Moghbazar area of Dhaka.
Although there are no actual statistical figures on the number of people victimised by dope gangs, some 50 people have fallen prey to them, based on the information collected from various hospitals in Dhaka.
Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan police (DMP) Joint Commissioner (JC) Abdul Baten however claimed that threat from these dope gangs has been contained as police have been able to control the situation and drives are under way to catch the food vendors who work with these gangs as well.
JC Abdul also said the dope gang member usually walk around different bus stops. They target people on moving buses posing as ordinary passengers, mostly at Tongi-Gazipur-Mymensingh-Tangail route from Mohakhali, Savar-Ashulia-Chandura-Manikganj route from Gabtoli, Mawa-Chittagong Road-Narayanganj route from Jatrabari, Sayedabad.
These gangs are not targeting bus stands but work at some 23 critical junctions in the city during iftar, said police.
The junctions are Mogbazar, Sayedabad, Mohakhali and Gabtoli bus terminals, Sadarghat launch terminal, Kamlapur rail station, Jatrabari intersection, Rampura, Banani, Kakoli, Gulshan, Banani Chairmanbari, Arambagh, Farmgate, Asad Gate, Sahjahanpur, Khilgaon, Fakirarpool, Dainik Bangla intersection, Motijheel culvert, and Mirpur intersection.
These gangs are divided into 25-30 groups with more than 200 members across the city.
Police so far have recovered different kinds of sleeping pills from these dope gang. Some have confessed to buying them from various pharmaceuticals including Mitford, Fakirapul etc, after being arrested.
These drugs usually enter Bangladesh illegally from India, Myanmar and neighboring countries, sources said.
On May 8, a clothes trader, Sohel, 30, was returning home to Bangshal, Old Dhaka after collecting overdue payments from clients. He was targeted by dope gangs near Gulistan flyover around 12am and was drugged and robbed of his mobile and the collected cash of Tk35,000.
He was rescued by nearby pedestrians and sent to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
Thursday, April 25, 2024
