Legal complications, manpower shortages and inadequate infrastructure are making it difficult for police to tackle the growing menace of teenage gangs, with restrictions on how juvenile offenders can be prosecuted and detained posing a particular challenge, according to senior police officials.
Under the Children Act 2013, offenders aged 18 or below must be sent to juvenile development centres and cannot be tried by mobile courts or in regular courts or kept in jail in the same manner as adults, the officials said.
They also pointed to administrative difficulties in maintaining specialized training for officers handling juvenile offenders. Officers trained to deal with such cases may later be transferred or assigned to other duties, making it difficult to maintain institutional capacity.
DMP Additional Police Commissioner Mohammad Osman Gani (Crime and Operations) told Dhaka Tribune recently that a lack of family education was a major reason behind juvenile crime.
“Parents need to know where their children go after leaving home in the evening. If parents become more aware, juvenile crime will gradually decline,” he said.
He said children and juveniles could not be dealt with through mobile courts, tried in regular courts or kept in jail in the same manner as adults, placing greater responsibility on families to prevent juvenile crime.
The challenges have come under renewed scrutiny following the recovery of the body of 13-year-old Ishayat Shahriar alias Opratim in Comilla on September 20.
Since then, law enforcement agencies have reportedly been arresting 200–300 teenage gang members almost daily as part of ongoing drives.
So far, 1,672 people have been detained or arrested in Comilla during operations against teenage gangs and local troublemakers, according to the latest available information.
Earlier, on April 12, Emon Hossain alias Alex Emon, leader of the Mohammadpur-based “Alex Group” and an accused in 18 criminal cases, was hacked to death in public. Top criminal Imam ul Hasan Helal alias Pichchi Helal was named as an accused in the murder case.
On September 15, Farhad, who allegedly led the “Patali Group” under Pichchi Helal’s direction, was shot and hacked to death inside a saloon in Arshinagar, Keraniganj.
The teenage gang culture has become increasingly entrenched in Dhaka and other parts of the country in recent years. While the identities of underworld godfathers and criminals are often known, those allegedly providing patronage to teenage gangs largely remain beyond the reach of law enforcement.
Operating under various names, these gangs have spread fear across neighbourhoods. Their members are allegedly involved in establishing territorial dominance, theft, mugging, extortion, drug dealing and even murder over trivial disputes. Some gangs also use social media pages to announce attacks on rival groups.
One in six on DMP list is under 18
According to DMP sources, more than half of the members on its list of criminal gangs are aged 20 or below, with around one in six under the age of 18.
The DMP list contains information on 122 active gangs in the capital. Mirpur has the highest number of gangs, while Mohammadpur leads in terms of violence.
Of the 893 gang members whose ages are recorded, 152, or 17%, are under 18, while 322, or 36%, are aged between 18 and 20. In total, 474 members, or 53%, are aged 20 or below.
The list identifies extortion, mugging, robbery, eve-teasing, drug dealing and contract killings among the gangs' criminal activities. The gangs allegedly receive political patronage and support from notorious criminals.
Experts blame criminal networks and political patronage
Social and crime experts say teenagers are increasingly becoming involved in serious crimes, with underworld criminals and politically influential groups allegedly using them to carry out criminal activities.
They say influential individuals recruit teenagers for drug dealing, illegal occupation and other offences. Impressionable teenagers, encouraged by local or political patronage, become involved in crime to demonstrate their power.
The growing gang culture has also left parents increasingly worried about their adolescent children.
At a meeting at Police Headquarters on Tuesday, Inspector General of Police Ali Hossain Fakir said a criminal's only identity was that of a criminal and that drug dealers, terrorists and extortionists must be brought to justice.
“There is no scope for considering political identity in this regard,” he said, adding that appropriate legal action must also be taken against juvenile offenders.
Reiterating the police's zero-tolerance policy towards drugs, the police chief stressed the need to ensure public participation through community policing.
Parents increasingly worried
Zakaria Zaman, a Class X student at Mohammad Preparatory School and College on Iqbal Road, is regularly accompanied to and from school by his mother, Shirin Akhter.
“I have no end to my worries about my son. Since we live in Mohammadpur, the fear is greater. I spend much of the day taking him to school and tuition classes because I am afraid he might fall into bad company,” she told Dhaka Tribune.
She said juvenile crime was increasing and urged the government to take stronger measures to protect children.
“If juvenile crime cannot be contained, all our efforts will fail,” she said.
Afreen Begum, mother of Md Abdullah, a Class VII student at Dhanmondi Government Boys’ High School, said she now kept a close watch on her son.
“We are very worried about our children, so I keep an eye on him. I also make sure he does not become friends with bad company. The Comilla incident has increased our fears,” she said, urging parents to remain vigilant about their children's friends and whereabouts.
Drugs fuelling juvenile crime
A 2025 survey by the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) found that around 8.3 million people in Bangladesh were addicted to drugs.
According to the survey, most drug users were men, with 7.76 million male and 285,000 female addicts. It also estimated that 255,000 children and adolescents were addicted to drugs.
Md Manzurul Islam, deputy director and researcher at the DNC Chittagong Metro (South), told Dhaka Tribune that children were being used to commit various crimes, including carrying yaba pills inside their bodies and transporting drugs.
“Children are less likely to be suspected and can be used for lower wages. Many become addicted after being recruited as drug carriers,” he said.
He said some parents took their children along when carrying or trafficking drugs to avoid attracting the attention of law enforcement agencies. Exposure to such activities could gradually normalise drug use and lead to addiction among children.
Drug abuse was another major factor behind the rise in juvenile crime, he said, adding that the limited scope for taking strong legal action against children also contributed to the problem.
Who is providing patronage?
Dhaka University Associate Professor Dr Towohidul Haque told Dhaka Tribune that poverty, inadequate family and social education, and drug abuse were driving the spread of teenage gangs across the country.
He said police operations alone would not be enough to address the crisis. Those financing criminal activities, operating drug networks and providing political patronage must be brought to justice, while families, educational institutions and local communities need to strengthen preventive measures.
He said police had been unable to remain fully active in the field since August 5 and had faced attacks while conducting operations in some areas.
He called for coordinated action against teenage gangs and stressed the need for political leaders to play a stronger role in combating crime and maintaining law and order.
