294 murders a month on average as 2,938 murder cases filed in 10 months

Sheikh Zakir Hossain, a leader of ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was shot dead inside his shop at Rupsa upazila in Khulna on Thursday night. Over the past 22 days, six people have been killed and another six injured in shootings in Khulna. 

Such killings are not confined to Khulna alone; rather, they are taking place across the country. A total of 2,938 murder cases were filed nationwide in the first 10 months of this year, averaging nearly 294 a month.

Alongside murders, incidents of extortion, robbery, mugging and the public use of firearms have heightened concerns over law and order in the country. 

People from various walks of life say the law-and-order situation has yet to improve as expected, even eight months after the government took office. The police, however, say law and order collapsed following the mass uprising but the situation has been gradually improving.

Analysing the killings and related data, officials involved in investigations say most murders stemmed from political violence, extortion, attempts to establish dominance, youth gangs and disputes over control of the drug trade. Many others were the result of domestic violence.

An analysis of case records from the police headquarters shows that 170,101 cases involving various crimes were filed across the country between January and October this year. A total of 181,673 cases were filed in the whole of the previous year. Besides murder cases, 417 robbery cases, 1,519 cases of banditry and 867 kidnapping cases were filed in the first 10 months of this year.

A single case is sometimes filed over multiple incidents. Therefore, the number of cases does not necessarily reflect the actual number of crimes committed.

An analysis of case records from the eight metropolitan police units and nine police ranges shows that Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) recorded the highest number of murder cases among the metropolitan areas, with 218 in the past 10 months. Among the nine ranges, Dhaka Range recorded the highest number, with 673 murder cases, followed by Chattogram Range with 571.

Kamarum Munira, spokesperson for police headquarters and an assistant inspector general (AIG), told Prothom Alo that the police were taking a range of measures to prevent murders and bring perpetrators to justice. 

These included identifying crime-prone areas, keeping criminals under intelligence surveillance, recovering illegal firearms, arresting criminals and goons, and conducting regular raids, she added.

The police headquarters spokesperson further said instructions had been issued to promptly register cases involving every murder, collect forensic evidence and identify perpetrators through investigations.

Kamarum Munira added that the recent killings in Khulna were being treated as a matter of particular concern. A decision had been taken to conduct special joint operations involving law enforcement agencies to curb crime and extortion there. Other initiatives included strengthening checkpoints, patrols and intelligence surveillance on major roads, as well as launching drives against unregistered motorcycles.

In April, top criminal Khandaker Naim Ahmed Titon was shot dead in broad daylight in the capital's New Market area. On 9 November, a young woman named Sanjida Akter Ima, 22, was strangled to death at a house in Uttarkhan, Dhaka.

According to police headquarters data, 218 murder cases were filed in Dhaka over the past 10 months, the highest figure among the eight metropolitan police areas. Most recently, 19 murder cases were filed in October, compared with 31 in September. 

DMP officials say between 20 and 30 murders take place every month across the jurisdiction of its 50 police stations.

Several high-profile murders have taken place in different parts of the country over the past 10 months. Most recently, BNP leader and brick-and-sand trader Mohammad Zakir Hossain was shot dead inside a shop in the village of Sholpo Bahirdia in Rupsa, Khulna, on Thursday night.

Speaking at his funeral prayers (namaz-e-ianaza), Nazrul Islam Manju, administrator of Khulna City Corporation and a BNP leader, said Khulna had become engulfed in crimes, with murders, extortion and drug trading rampant. 

People were being killed for speaking out against these activities, he said. He called for joint operations to arrest listed criminals.

Between 22 October and 12 November, at least 13 shooting incidents took place in Khulna over 22 days. In one incident, criminals fired blank shots at a clinic after demanding extortion money. Six people were killed and another six injured in the shootings. Three more people were killed in attacks involving sharp weapons and beatings. 

In all, nine people were murdered in Khulna during the 22-day period: five in Khulna city, three in Rupsa and one in Dumuria upazilas. Up to 12 November this year, 39 murders had been recorded in Khulna city and 40 across the district.

Earlier, on 18 September, Ishayat Shahriar, also known as Apratim, 13, son of Nahida Begum, an associate professor in the Department of Bangla at Comilla University, was killed by members of a youth gang. The incident sparked widespread discussion across the country.

At around 8:30 pm on 15 October, journalist Lutfozzaman Alif Fakir, 44, was shot dead in Netrokona. Alif had reported on smuggling, drug and arms trafficking along the border, as well as local irregularities and wrongdoing. He regularly published photographs and videos exposing these activities. There are allegations that he was targeted and killed for his reporting.

The murders of four members of the same family in Rangpur, five members of a family in Kapasia, Gazipur, and a mother and her three daughters in Lakshmipur also drew nationwide attention.