30 juvenile criminal gangs active in Tongi

A section of adolescents and youth in Tongi, Gazipur are getting involved in all sorts of criminal activities backed by so-called ‘big brothers’.

They hang put together, then start harassing women on the streets. Next they are into mugging, theft, drugs, drug dealing and even murder.

Gazipur City Corporation was created in 2013 with 57 wards. And 15 of these wards are located in Tongi, the area with the highest incidences of crimes in Gazipur. The police have no account of how many juvenile criminal gangs operate in the area. Speaking to the local people and a few government organisations there for over a month, information was found about 30 such juvenile gangs.

Each of these gangs is patronised by certain ‘big brothers’ of the area. They are involved in local politics in one way or the other. And these youth, ranging to 15 years old sometimes up to 22, operate under the shelter of these ‘big brothers’ or ‘boro bhai’. They are used to grab control in the areas, harass and assault people and take part in political processions.

Officer-in-charge of Tongi East police station, Aminul Islam, said that there is a large floating population in Tongi. In many instances, the criminals simply leave the area after committing crimes. The police are active in nabbing these criminals.

The patrons

Local people say that the most crime-prone areas in Tongi are Boubazar, Puro Arichpur and the Nadi Bandar area. These young reprobates hang around the walkway that goes by the river Turag, Turag Bazar, behind Dhaka Dyeing and adjacent areas. At least 15 gangs have been formed in this locality. Each gang has around 10 to 12 members.

Most of these gangs are controlled by Md Parvez and Monir alias Blacket Monir of Pagar in Tongi, say local residents. Monir is the main accused in the murder to Milon of Alertek Pagar. Parvez was also arrested after the Milon murder. Other than that, many of these young boys are accused in the Habibur murder case.

Parvez and Monir are friends. They are known as followers of Tongi thana Chhatra League organising secretary Md Sohel Rana.

Sohel Rana told Prothom Alo, “I know Parvez, but he was not involved in politics with me. And Blacket Monir is an acquaintance of a junior brother in Chhatra League. We never support anyone in such activities.”

Similarly, the gang of Sajib Chowdhury alias Pappu rules Modhumita, Bhuiyapara, Jamatibazar and adjacent areas. He has at least 5 or 6 criminal gangs of these young boys under him.

Pappu is accused in at least 5 cases involving firearms, drugs, robbery and such crimes. In 2010 he was sentenced to five years imprisonment under the speedy trial act. He presently lives in Badda in the capital city. In his absence, his elder brother Bappi is in charge of these gangs. Bappi is accused in an arms case.

Pappu has recently been trying to come back to the local political scene by taking part in the processions and rallies. He is a follower of Tongi thana Chhatra League general secretary Mashiur Rahman Sarkar. However, Mashiur Rahman claims, “He (Pappu) was with Chhatra League and would occasionally show up. He isn’t in contact any more, though.”

Two groups, one of Rafi and one of Nahid, were active in Tongi Bazar. Nahid died on 1 March 2019 in clashes between the two groups. When Rafi and a few others were arrested for the murder, the group lost some of its muscle in the area. But three groups, of Mim, Joy and Biplob, remain active in Bhoran of Tongi. The three of them are accused in a case filed on 30 December 2017 regarding the abduction of a schoolgirl.

Tongi BSCIC and Notun Bazar are the busiest areas of Tongi. A certain Md Shukkur Ali controls these areas. There are accusations against him regarding all sorts of criminal activities. A case was filed against him on 12 July at the Tongi East police station on charges of assault, theft and coercion.

Attempts were made to contact Shukkur over mobile phone, but he did not reply. Nor did he respond to any SMS.

There are 6 or 7 gangs in Ershad Nagar, an area in Tongi comprising 8 blocks. Of these, Chhatra League’s Jewel and Jubo League’s Amir Hamza create the most trouble.

The Ibrahim Bahini rules Tongi’s College Gate, Safiuddin Road and Muktar Bari Road. Ibrahim is accused in a case filed on 19 May last year with Tongi West police station. There are several adolescents and teenagers in his group. He has been accused of using them in fights and to exert his control.

Jubo League leader Billal Molla rules in the entire Auchpara of Tongi, including Khan Para and Dutta Para. When committing crimes, these juvenile criminals in the area often use his name. Speaking to Prothom Alo, Billal Molla said, “I hear such allegations too, but I never give any backing to such elements.”

Speaking to Prothom Alo about patronage of the so-called big brothers, Gazipur City Corporation mayor and city Awami League general secretary Jahangir Alam told Prothom Alo that they will not take liability of people who use the party name to carry out criminal activities or to patronise such criminals. The law enforcement agencies need to be active in this regard. He said that Tongi was the most crime-prone area in the city corporation. He often receives complaints about young boys being involved in taking control of areas, exerting power, drug dealing and other criminal activities. That is why they want the patrons to be exposed too.

Various incidents

On the evening of 17 November 2018, nine persons including Habibur Rahman (18), the only son of a rickshaw-puller, were injured when a group of criminal juveniles attacked them with knives. Habibur later died in hospital. The others recovered after undergoing treatment for long.

A housewife of Mirashpara had been caught up in the incident that evening while on her way home from the market. Recently in Boupara, she recounted the incident to Prothom Alo, “I was alarmed to see around 20 to 25 people rushing forward with knives and such weapons. I managed to take shelter in a barber’s salon with my child.”

Habibur’s family filed a case, accusing 15 in the murder incident. The police later issued charge sheets against 10. Four of them were from Dakkhinkhan in the capital city. The other six were from various areas of Tongi. As the police couldn’t locate the addresses of the others or arrest them, charges against them were dropped.

The investigating officer, sub-inspector (SI) Md Abdus Salam of Tongi East police station, told Prothom Alo that Tongi is situated by the river with Dhaka on one side and Gazipur on the other. The criminals came from either side, committed crimes, and left.

A schoolboy of Class 9, Md Shubho (15), was stabbed to death on the night of 7 July 2018 in the Pagar Fakir Market area by a juvenile criminal gang. On 15 September this year, a gang of around 30 to 40 young boys carried out a similar incident in which a garment factory worker Milon was killed.

Additional police commissioner of Gazipur metropolitan police, Md Azad Mia, told Prothom Alo, “We are aware of these matters. Those involved in such crimes are arrested in various raids. We have extensive plans about uprooting these crimes.”

Who are these boys?

Investigations show that most of these young boys are from poor families. Their fathers are mostly rickshaw-pullers or work in tea stalls or their fathers and mothers work as domestic help. Some of these young boys are school dropouts and some never went to school at all.

A police officer, on condition of anonymity, said these adolescents involved in crimes are mostly from different slums. As they are idle and jobless, anyone can easily use them to carry out various criminal activities.

This correspondent spoke to the father of a 16-year-old member of one of these gangs in Tongi. The father of the teen criminal sells tea in Tongi Bazar. He said, “My son was a good boy. Then one day he got into an argument with a teacher after the JSC exam and stopped going to school. After that he got involved with a bad crowd.”

Member of the Gazipur unit of the civic group Sachetan Nagorik Samity and principal of Bhasha Shaheed College, Mukul Kumar Mullick, told Prothom Alo that Tongi is a densely populated area of Gazipur teeming with slums. And it is more crime-prone than other areas. Those involved in crimes are patronised by some ‘big brother’ or the other. It is under their control that these boys are misguided. He said, these criminal gangs cannot be controlled unless these big brothers are halted, their patronage is stopped and proper implementation of the law is ensured.

*This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir