Mugging on the rise

Not a single day was passing without mugging, spelling sense of fear and panic on the city dwellers.

The newspapers almost everyday publish reports on mugging taken place within the purview of 12 thana areas of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP). And many remain unreported.

The miscreants use the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) auto-rickshaw as a vehicle of their crime and rickshaw passengers are their targets. The four-stroke vehicle is fast and can easily intercept rickshaws from behind and whisk away.

Patrol police, in most of the cases, are found play role of mere spectators and hardly respond to the need of the cause.

According to police record, only 10 incidents of mugging occurred in December and 24 in January. However, unofficial sources said the figure would be higher in January as many incidents were not recorded or reported.

In January, incidents of mugging took place every alternate day. Some 'compassionate' muggers have even made phone calls to the victims as an acknowledgement of the booty!

On January 24, the muggers on board a CNG taxi intercepted the car of businessman Fasiur Rahman at around 2.00 pm in front of Makki Mosque near Panchlaish Police Station and took away Tk 2 lakh at gunpoint.

The muggers stabbed and snatched Tk 17,000 from one Mohammad Ibrahim on January 23 at Chhotopool area under Halishahar thana as he tried to resist them. Ibrahim was rushed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) in a critical condition.

On January 22, wife of Chittagong University teacher Shamsul Alam, was mugged at around 7.00pm at Prabartak Crossing. The muggers on a CNG decamped with her vanity bag that contains Tk 5,000, two gold chains and important documents when she was going in a rickshaw. The miscreants later thanked her over phone for the money.

Daisy Moudud , Sub-editor of the Daily Purbokone, was mugged for the fourth time in two years, the latest one on January 20. Daisy was going to Ispahani School and College to pay the admission fee of her son, a student of class VIII. One stretching hand from a CNG took away her vanity bag with Tk 6,000 and a mobile phone as her rickshaw reached in front of Aarong Show Room near GEC Crossing.

On January 20, three incidents took place at 3.00am at Badurtala and at 8.45pm at Enayet Bazar. Azadi staff Nizamuddin and expatriate couple Tapash and Tanushree Dev were the victims.

Newspaper hawker Shamsul Haq was mugged Tk1600 and a wristwatch at Sirajuddowla Road in the early hours of January 18.

Two muggers posing as old friends made one Emdadul Haq their victim in front of Chittagong Press Club on January 12 morning and took Tk 9500 yielding knife. Emdad was there to deposit the money at Agrani Bank, Press Club branch.

Mugging also occurred at Golpahar area on January 11, at Pahartali Panjabi Lane on January 9, at Momin Road on January 5 and January 1. However, unconfirmed sources claimed that many more incident of mugging have taken place that were not reported at all.

The most daring mugging took place at city's Sholakbahar area on December 27 morning when the miscreants riding a microbus intercepted the car of Fulkoli and took away Tk 6,00000 (six lakh) at gunpoint. The Fulkoli staff were going to a nearby bank to deposit the money.

On December 17 and 15 two mugging happened inside two passenger buses at GEC and WASA intersection. The muggers in guise of passengers looted the passengers at gunpoint.

Muggers stabbed businessman Abul Kalam at Agrabad Mistripara area on the night of December 11 and took away Tk 20,000, a gold chain and mobile phone from him.

When contacted Assistant Commissioner (DB) of CMP Mohammad Shafique Uddin Chowdhury said that police patrol was strengthened at different city points to check the rise of mugging.