Murder probe in dark as load shedding makes surveillance footage unusable

As load-shedding coincided with the murder of marine engineer Shahadat Hossain Majumdar, 51, police have been unable to make any headway into the investigation using footage from nearby closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.  

Shahadat's body had been recovered from near Rabindra Sarabar in the area early on Sunday morning. 

Police sources said analysing the CCTV footages from near murder scenes was one of the main ways of identifying culprits in such cases, but it was not possible in this instance. 

Ikram Ali Miah, officer-in-charge (OC) of Dhanmondi model police station, said to The Business Standard, "Almost nothing could be seen on the CCTV footage as there was no electricity in the area at the time of the murder. Footage from several CCTVs in the surrounding areas were also checked, but nothing clear was found in those either."

Police said the murder might not have taken place in a well-lit area, while enough light would have also made it easier to identify the perpetrators using CCTV footage.

The victim's missing mobile phone hasn't been located yet and investigators are yet to find any clue.

Relatives of the deceased said Shahadat went out for a walk in the Dhanmondi lake area on Saturday evening like every other day. 

When he did not return by 12am, family members began to search for him. Around 2:30am, police informed them that a body was found next to Rabindra Sarobar in Dhanmondi. Later, Shahadat's relatives identified the body.

Police said there were multiple wounds on Shahadat's body and a knife was found near it. His mobile phone and wallet were not found. Initially, the investigators speculated that muggers killed Shahadat.

Investigators have interrogated several suspects regarding the case but no progress has been made so far.

Pedestrians fear darkened Dhaka streets

Apart from the hours of load shedding, lights remain off in different streets in Dhaka including the ones in Gulshan, Uttara, and Hatirjheel areas.

Recently, lights on the road from Police Plaza to Rampura were found switched off after 11pm.

Abdur Rob, who travels regularly on this route, told TBS that he often found that there was no light in the streets in several parts of Hatirjheel area at night. Keeping the lights off in this way has created a safety hazard for pedestrians. 

Asked about the matter, ASM Raihanul Ferdous, chief engineer (project and design) of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk), told TBS, "I do not know anything about it. I will look into the matter."

Incidents of theft and robbery have been increasing in different areas of the capital since the area-based load shedding started in July, said sources at the police, who have been receiving an increased number of calls on their helpline regarding such incidents.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam have already given instructions to strengthen area-based patrolling to prevent an increase in theft, robbery or other crime due to load-shedding.

However, despite the instruction, the DMP's police stations did not show much activity to strengthen their patrols.

Asked about the matter, several police officials told TBS that they are giving maximum efforts to keep the areas safe by increasing patrols. But when a big area gets dark all at once, it is not possible for the law enforcers to be present everywhere and provide security.

Besides, the police have a manpower shortage, so even if they want, they cannot deploy enough cops for patrolling.