Extortionists on the prowl

Police admit, ask for complaints

29 July 2013, 18:44 PM

UPDATED 30 July 2013, 02:31 AM

Staff Correspondent

Silent extortion through issuing threats over the phone has been taking place in the capital ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, said police in a press briefing yesterday. To expedite efforts in combating extortion, law enforcers have opened three hotlines in order to receive complaints from people about extortionists' demand for money. The hotline numbers are 01713398326-9, 01191001100 and 01191001111. "Being intimidated, people in many cases pay the extortionists without informing the police," said Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). The police receive information on such silent extortion from their intelligence or the media later, he added. He came up with the observations a day after a private university student, Mahamadullah, 19, was shot by local extortionists in Mohakhali for not paying Tk 2 lakh. On July 21, Ujjal Hossain, 25, was shot dead by criminals in Rampura after he staged a rally in the area against extortion. An RMG official in Mirpur sustained bullet injuries in the abdomen and right leg on July 9 after he refused to provide a group of criminals with jhut (garment waste). In the press briefing, Monirul said the complainants did not need to disclose their identities while informing police about the extortion by criminals over the phone. He also cautioned people about the criminal activities of many gangs involved in mugging, pick-pocketing and doping. Saying that the incidents of mugging have taken an alarming rise before the Eid, he suggested the passengers to become extra cautious while riding on a CNG or taxicab. CNG or taxicab drivers may attempt to stop their vehicles in a comparatively quiet area to get the passengers mugged, he added. Monirul also said they had tightened security in the capital's snatching-prone places, and the number of plainclothes police team had also been increased. “People should also inform police through the hotline numbers or lodge complaint at their nearest police station if they are harassed by fake law enforcers,” he added.