Mugging, murders and teen gangs unnerve Mohammadpur

Illustration: TBS

On 21 October, CCTV footage capturing a mugging incident in Mohammadpur went viral, shocking residents.

The video shows a young female university student walking along a street in the Nobodoy Housing area around 6:30am. Suddenly, a group of young men emerged from behind, brandishing machetes, and blocked her path.

They demanded her bag, but when she resisted, they attempted to stab her.

In a desperate struggle, the muggers managed to snatch her bag before the young woman fled the scene.

The viral video has instilled fear among Mohammadpur residents, particularly women, who are now hesitant to venture out even during daylight hours.

Residents report a significant deterioration in law and order in Mohammadpur since 5 August, with a sharp increase in crimes, particularly muggings and murders.

At least ten people have been murdered in the area since then, allegedly linked to political dominance and drug trade. Miscreants openly brandish automatic firearms, and shootings have become commonplace.

Due to the rising crime rate, locals are hesitant to leave their homes after dark unless absolutely necessary, especially in the outer areas of Mohammadpur, including Chand Udyan, Bosila and Ring Road areas. They avoid carrying expensive items like mobile phones, bank cards, and large sums of money if they have to go out.

On the morning of 20 October, six miscreants blocked a Nestlé company car in Mohammadi Housing Limited and robbed Tk11.85 lakh.

Earlier, on the night of 11 October, armed robbers disguised as army and RAB personnel entered a businessman's house in Mohammadpur, looting Tk7.5 lakh and 60 bhories of gold ornaments.

On 24 October, muggers stormed a grocery store in the 40-Feet area of Mohammadpur's Basila, holding the shopkeeper hostage with sharp weapons and making off with all the cash.

 After 5 August, the day Hasina regime fell in the face of  a mass uprising, law and order began to deteriorate due to the absence of police personnel at the stations. Although police forces later returned, the situation remains out of control.

Recently, to ensure the safety of people's lives and property, temporary army camps have been set up in the area along with police and RAB.

Law enforcement officials attribute the challenges in controlling the situation to various factors, including manpower shortages and insufficient patrol vehicles. However, they assure that efforts are underway to curb the escalating crime rate.

With adequate manpower and resources, such activities could be brought under control more effectively, they say.

In the past week, the army has arrested several identified terrorists and extortionists in a special operation to combat the deteriorating situation.

Most muggings in outer areas, 'Mughal area' safer

According to locals and police officials, in Mohammadpur, well-off residential areas named after the Mughal period, such as Iqbal Road, Taj Mahal Road, and Shershah Suri Road, experience relatively low robbery rates due to increased police vigilance.

In contrast, areas like Chand Udyan, Chandrima Housing, and the surroundings of Ring Road and Basila are more prone to such incidents.

Saqlain Rizvi, a Mohammadpur resident, said the central part of Mohammadpur and its neighbouring areas, Dhanmondi and Lalmatia, have lower crime rates.

However, he highlights the higher risk on the outskirts of Mohammadpur, where most residents avoid going out in the evening due to safety concerns.

In the past two weeks, ten mugging incidents have occurred in the areas of Soarighat Beribadh Road, Beribadh Four Road Junction, Bosila, and Gabtali Bridge on the Mohammadpur-Gabtali road.

Khandkar Rafi, a resident of Bosila, recounted an incident that occurred on 19 October at around 3:30pm.

He said three members of his mess house were returning home from a nearby restaurant when they were ambushed by a group of 9-10 young men armed with large, sharp weapons. The assailants robbed them of their belongings, including two mobile phones and around Tk9,000 in cash, before fleeing the scene.

A mugging victim, who wished to remain anonymous, reported that on 18 October at around 10pm, he was riding a rickshaw in the Bosila 40 Feet area when a group of muggers intercepted the vehicle and robbed him of his mobile phone and wallet.

Mohammadpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Iftekhar Hasan stated that the police are actively working to control the situation and apprehend the criminals.

Dominance of teen gangs

A teen gang culture has long been a problem in Mohammadpur, with its elements involved in various criminal activities.

Locals report that these gangs, once aligned with the Chhatra League and Jubo League, have adapted to the changing political landscape since the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August. They are now actively involved in theft, robbery and mugging.

On the night of 27 October, the army launched a special operation in Mohammadpur, arresting around 40 members of various teen gangs. Many of the detainees had distinctive tattoos, with some bearing double-star symbols.

A series of murders

On 20 September, two individuals, Nasir Biswas (29) and Munna (22), were found brutally murdered in the embankment area near Rayerbazar Boddhobhumi in Mohammadpur. Both victims were affiliated with the same gang.

Nasir, a mason by profession, was known for his association with the Awami League in the Mohammadpur-Hazaribagh area. Police investigations revealed that he had used this affiliation to extort money and engage in drug trade.

Munna had a criminal record, with involvement in at least eight drug cases and acts of sabotage. Nasir was implicated in two drug-related cases.

Three days after the incident, a case was filed at the Mohammadpur Police Station against six individuals, including notorious terrorist Imamul Hasan Helal, alias Picchi Helal.

A person named Miraj Molla (23) was arrested on the same day in connection with the case.

On 1 September, Billal Gazi, a staff member of Akash Neela Western Housing, was brutally murdered in Nobodoy Housing area in Mohammadpur.

On 17 September, Shahadat Hossain was hacked to death at the Three Road Junction area in Green View Housing, Mohammadpur.

Additionally, CNG driver Shahriar Ashiq (21) was killed in the Bosila 40-Feet area of Aram Housing, Mohammadpur.

Following the incident, his father filed a case at the Mohammadpur Police Station. Subsequently, 14 individuals were arrested by the police in connection with the case.

History of underworld dominance in Mohammadpur

Mohammadpur has long been a breeding ground for top criminals who have dominated the underworld and controlled criminal activities in this part of the capital.

It is widely believed that Sweden Aslam, a notorious terrorist, once controlled criminal activities in Mohammadpur during the 1990s.

His criminal career began in 1986 with the murder of a young man named Shakil, who was shot dead while holding his mother's hand outside Nazneen School in East Rajabazar, Farmgate.

Five days after Shakil's murder, he took control of eight halls at Dhaka University in a single night to assert his dominance. Following this takeover, the name Aslam became synonymous with terror.

After committing over a dozen murders, he fled to Sweden, earning the moniker "Sweden Aslam".

Later incarcerated,  he faced at least 12 cases with the latest one filed in connection with the murder of Jubo League leader Ghalib of Tejgaon on 23 March 1997. He was released on bail on 3 September.

Among the 23 top-listed criminals, Picchi Helal and Sanjidul Islam Imon allegedly continued extortion in Mohammadpur's transport sector and on footpaths even from jail. Since Helal's recent release, he is reportedly back to engaging in criminal activities.

Another top terrorist from Mohammadpur was Tofail Ahmed Joseph, a former Chhatra League leader. His elder brother, Major General Aziz Ahmed, served as Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and subsequently as Chief of Army Staff.

Joseph, the youngest of five siblings, entered politics under the guidance of his elder brother Haris Ahmed, a former Jatiya Party member who later joined the Jubo League and served as a councilor for Ward 44.

Joseph subsequently established a reign of terror in Mohammadpur-Hazaribagh and surrounding areas in the 1990s, aligning himself with the notorious Seven Star Group led by Subrata Bain.

During that time, the Seven Star Group and the Five Star Group were the two dominant criminal organisations in Dhaka.

In 2018, Joseph was released from incarceration, after a presidential clemency cut his life sentence short.