One year of interim govt: 4 types of crime on rise, controlling ‘mob’ is the challenge

Lawsuits filed on charges of murder, robbery, abduction, and rape have increased over the past year in comparison to the previous year. Many of the cases related to older incidents of murder. Meanwhile, incidents of snatching, piracy, theft, burglary, and smuggling have declined compared to the previous year.

This picture emerges from an analysis of police headquarters’ data on eight types of crime. Lawsuits filed from August last year to July this year offer a rough indication of the overall crime situation.

However, as policing broke down during student and public uprisings, many incidents went unregistered at the beginning of the last year.

Crime analysts believe actual occurrences may therefore be higher than official statistics.

One of the major concerns following the July public uprisings has been mob violence. In several cases, mobs under the guise of protest have carried out lynching resulting in murder, looting, hostage-taking, extortion, and even manipulation of cases and arrests.

Police headquarters maintain crime-specific case records, but they do not separately track crimes committed by mobs. As a result, a complete record of mob-related crimes over the past year is unavailable.

However, according to data from the non-government human rights organisation, Human Rights Support Society (HRSS), at least 173 incidents of mob violence occurred between January and July this year. These incidents left at least 79 dead and 158 injured.

Analysts note that in the post-uprising period, the public’s fear of mob attacks and lawlessness increased, which has not yet come under control fully.

Moreover, law enforcement officers have occasionally become victims of mobs. In some cases, police have left scenes without attempting to quell the violence to protect themselves.

The most recent example occurred in Taraganj of Rangpur district. On 9 August, two innocent men, Rupalal Das, 40, and Pradip Lal, 35, a disabled van driver, were beaten to death by a mob. Police arrived at the scene but, fearing the mob, left without rescuing them. With military assistance, the victims were eventually taken to hospital, but one died before arrival and the other died a few hours later.

Even a year after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, questions remain as to why law and order has not normalised.

Earlier, some perpetrators or beneficiaries of crimes under the previous Awami League government were brought under legal scrutiny through organised protests. However, there are questions as to why those protests were not effectively controlled when those turned violent later.

Police maintain that they now operate under a “zero tolerance” policy toward mob formation.

Speaking about this, police chief Inspector General (IGP) Baharul Alam told Prothom Alo that, initially, officers lacked the morale to act against mobs. Seeing a group of students approaching, police often retreated. After taking action in several incidents, mob formation has since declined.

According to police headquarters, from August last year to this July, as many as 3,866 murder cases were filed nationwide, including Dhaka. In the previous year (August 2023–July 2024), 2,975 murder cases were registered.

Excluding 637 murder cases linked to the July uprisings after the incumbent interim government assumed office, there were 3,229 murder cases over the past year.

The IGP told Prothom Alo that there was no particular reason for the increase in murders. However, 834 people were killed in July–August of last year, and no cases were filed for these deaths in August. Those cases are now being registered.

He stated that from 2014 to 2024, some victims could not bring complaints to the police due to fear of being labelled supporters of Jamaat and BNP; cases for these past incidents, including cross fires, are now being filed. In addition, enforced disappearances under the previous government have led to abduction cases being registered.

The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances also referred 160 such cases to the relevant police stations for action, the IGP added.

Crime analysts say that regardless of statistics, several recent brutal murders have created a sense of insecurity among people. For example, on 9 July in Old Dhaka, scrap trader Lal Chand alias Sohag was beaten and struck with brick and stone fragments in public, crushing his head and various parts of his body, ultimately killing him.

Video footage of the incident spread on social media, sparking widespread social and political reaction.

Just a month later, local journalist Asaduzzaman Tuhin, 38, was hacked to death by assailants in Gazipur on 7 August while he was recording a video of a man being beaten.

This too happened in a crowded area in broad daylight.

In both cases, police quickly arrested the suspects. However, the public’s sense of security has not returned. The day after the Gazipur incident, another person was lynched in Rangpur.

After the fall of Sheikh Hasina, a series of robberies occurred across the country, including in the capital Dhaka. Concerned residents in many areas began organising night patrols. Several incidents of highway robberies drew national attention.

According to police records, there have been 1,156 dacoity cases across the country in the past year. The number was 330 during the same period of the previous year. Under the Penal Code, when one to four people commit a crime, it is considered dacoity, but if there are more than four, it is considered robbery.

Abductions became a major cause of insecurity in the past year.  Physician Aminur Rahman of Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s Neurosurgery Department was kidnapped on 11 January in Gazipur. He was taken from the street, blindfolded with tape, struck on the knees with a hammer, physically assaulted, and a ransom of Tk 130,000 was taken.

In the past year of the interim government, there were 954 abduction cases nationwide. In the same period the previous year, there were 513 such cases.

In recent times, the biggest concern has been unruly, organised mob attacks. Police themselves have also been attacked by mobs on several occasions.

According to police headquarters, there have been 560 cases related to attacks and assaults on police officers in the past year. Mobs attacked the police at least 225 instances from September last year to February this year alone.

Rights body Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) said 111 people were killed in mob violence and lynching incidents across the country from January to August 10 this year.

In a press statement issued last Monday, ASK said that the culture of impunity has become a grave concern for social harmony and the rule of law.

On 4 March, a press release of the Ministry of Home Affairs said the government was committed to bring all individuals involved in mob incidents to book. The ministry warned everyone not to take the law into their own hands.

However, several mob incidents took place despite these warnings. On 17 July, a group of unruly people went to the home of Shammi Ahmed, the Awami League’s (now banned) International Affairs Secretary, and extorted Tk 1 million through intimidation.

Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad central member Abdur Razzak bin Sulaiman alias Riyad, and others demanded an additional Tk 5 million. When they came to collect the second payment, police arrested them.

Previously, similar incidents were also reported in Gulshan and other parts of Dhaka, particularly in Mohammadpur, where the situation got worse as houses were allegedly looted.

Several police officials told Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity that mob incidents became the biggest challenge for police after the fall of the Awami League government. In some cases, even police stations were attacked.

The officer-in-charge (OC) of Chattogram’s Patiya police station was withdrawn after confronting a mob. The police department tried to retain him, but he was removed on the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Officials said this incident had a negative impact on the police’s willingness to act against mobs. However, they believe that incidents have decreased somewhat following the arrests over the Gulshan extortion case.

Incidents of rape, and violence against women and children, have increased alarmingly in the country. Cases of rape are generally filed under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. Sources at police headquarters said on 10 August that they have records of such crimes up to June this year.

Between August last year and June this year—an 11-month period—there were 17,900 cases of rape and violence against women and children. In the same period the previous year, there were 16,792 such cases.

The most discussed incident during this period was in Magura, where a child was raped while visiting her elder sister’s in-laws’ house.

The family filed the complaint on 6 March. The child died on 13 March while undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka.

The incident sparked nationwide outrage. In the case, the accused was the sister’s father-in-law, Hitu Sheikh, who was sentenced to death by a Magura court on 17 May.

In the past year, incidents of theft, burglary, and smuggling have decreased. Burglary refers to cutting through walls or breaking grills to steal from a house. From August 2024 to July 2025, there were 11,266 cases of theft and burglary, compared to 12,157 cases in the same period the previous year. Smuggling cases also dropped, with 1,962 cases this year compared to 2,356 last year.

Meanwhile, drug and illegal arms seizures have increased. In the past year, there were 43,864 drug seizure cases, compared to 68,875 the previous year.

From August last year to July this year, there were 1,635 cases related to illegal arms seizures, up from 1,430 cases in the same period the previous year.

Experts say that policing collapsed after the mass uprising, and that the state and government have failed to respond effectively. The police remain in a weakened state. Many officials were denied promotions for political reasons, assigned to less important posts outside operational duties, or denied promotion due to corruption or moral turpitude. Those who were previously side-lined have now been promoted or given better postings, but in many cases, competence was not considered. Such officials are unable to inspire subordinates and lack the courage to take responsibility for their actions.

Many police personnel are also uncertain about their job security. The lack of trust has made many officials hesitant to work courageously, resulting in little progress in restoring public security.

Regarding this, Professor Muhammad Omar Faruk, chairman of the Department of Criminology and Police Science at Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University in Tangail, told Prothom Alo that due to political instability, the police cannot take a firm stance, which has increased public anxiety and concern over security.

According to him, problems will intensify as the upcoming elections approach. During this time, incidents of mob violence, theft, mugging, dacoity, murder, and robbery will rise. For this, it is necessary to provide police with specialised training, as well as to take a stricter approach to bring criminals to book.