The government has planned to deploy police in the highways across the country to stop extortion from vehicles carrying essentials to prevent prices from soaring.
However, transport owners and businessmen said the more police the government deploy on the roads and highways the more the prices of essentials will rise, since a nexus of police and business syndicates are involved in the crimes.
The Commerce Ministry sent a letter to the Home Ministry to take steps to stop extortion on the roads and highways.
The ministry also instructed 64 district commissioners to take bold steps to this end.
The prices of essentials usually go up by 40% to 60 % during Ramadan due to extortion from vehicles and business syndicates.
Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed said: “We have already informed the Home Ministry to take actions to stop highway extortion.”
The Intelligent agencies have identified more than 100 people involved in such crimes and police are going to take preemptive measures by busting their dens, he added.
The Commerce Ministry sources said 1kg of brinjal is now being sold at TK20-TK25 in the wholesale markets of Narsingdi and it was sold at Tk60-70 (a 180% rise) in Dhaka’s kitchen markets yesterday.
Transport businessmen and traders blamed the syndicates and police for the extortion at a number of points of the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway.
The points are Khopur, Sitakundu, Daudkhandi, Eliatganj Bhobhachar Chittagong Road and Gabtoli, Aminbazar, Savar, Paturia, Arepara, Nahapara, Daulatpur, and 22 other spots on the Dhaka-Narsingdi Highway.
Toll collectors are also active at Jatrabari, Dholaikhal, Tanti Bazar More, Armanitola More in the capital.
Incidents of mugging and extortion also happen in northern, western, and eastern parts of the country and sometimes drivers are also killed in those incidents.
Businessmen and transport owners association alleged that police trap drivers and force the transport owners to pay police on a regular basis.
Dhaka Mahanagar Transport Agency Owners Association General Secretary Dholan Barura said: “We pay police and extortionists regularly and if anyone refuses to pay, they are branded by police as illegal drug peddlers.”
Golam Mawla, general secretary of Moulvibazar Bebsayi Samity, said the more police men are posted on the highways to stop extortion during the holy month of Ramadan, the more it will happen.
Asaduzzaman Miah, deputy inspector general of the highway police, however, said: “Our members are not involved in toll collection in the transport sector.”
“If anyone can prove it, action will be taken immediately against those involved in extortion,” he added.
