Crime remains unchecked in Dhaka, little efforts visible

Murders carried out in broad daylight, armed robberies on busy streets, and muggings outside people' homes continue to occur in Bangladesh’s capital. Even police officers are coming under attack. Although some suspects are arrested following high-profile incidents, law enforcement agencies often fail to reach the organisers and controllers of these professional criminal networks. As a result, crime continues unabated, with new incidents occurring regularly. Questions have also been raised about the effectiveness of police efforts to control crime.

According to data from Police Headquarters, 597 murder cases were filed in Dhaka Metropolitan Area during the 21-month period from September 2024 to May this year. Of those, 11 killings were linked to battles for control of the criminal underworld. Among the victims were four alleged top criminals.

During the same period, 773 cases of robbery and mugging were recorded. Police officers themselves believe the actual number of such incidents is much higher, as most victims do not file cases. Some submit only general diaries (GD), while there are also allegations that in certain instances police refuse to accept complaints.

An analysis of ten widely discussed mugging incidents in Dhaka shows that police have yet to complete the investigation of a single one. In several cases, suspects released on bail have reportedly returned to criminal activities.

Attacks on law enforcement personnel have also been frequent. Over the past 21 months, police have been attacked 142 times in Dhaka alone.

Despite the rise in murders, robberies and muggings in the capital, the criminal networks behind them are not largely unknown to law enforcement agencies. According to the latest list prepared by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), 117 professional criminal gangs are currently active in the city. Each group consists of roughly 10 to 20 members.

These gangs are involved in contract killings, muggings, robberies, extortion, and other crimes. Police records contain the identities of their members, as well as the names of those believed to provide them with patronage. Investigators have also found links between these groups and several high-profile murders, muggings, and other crimes in Dhaka.

The most recent widely discussed case occurred on 16 June, when a bKash agent was hacked with sharp weapons and robbed of Tk 300,000 in Adabor. Only after the incident drew significant public attention did police launch an intensive operation to apprehend the offenders.

During that operation, Adabor Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Zahidul Islam and another officer came under attack. The assailants hacked and injured them, while two attackers were later wounded by police gunfire. Investigations revealed that the attackers were members of the “Kobjikata Anwar” gang, a criminal group based in Mohammadpur and Adabor that already appeared on the DMP’s list of organised criminal networks. Detailed information about the group was already listed in police records.

People familiar with the issue say law enforcement agencies often become fully active only when incidents receive extensive coverage in the media or on social media platforms. As a result, listed criminal groups continue to operate and commit crimes repeatedly.

The question of how these gangs remain active despite police possessing detailed information about them has also arisen in connection with another high-profile mugging in Mohammadpur. On 31 May, after returning to Dhaka following the Eid holidays, a mother and daughter were held at machete-point outside their residence on Noorjahan Road and robbed of their belongings. The CCTV footage went viral on social media, prompting police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) to take action and arrest two suspects.

Authorities later discovered that the names of those professional criminals were also already included in police records. Further investigation revealed that the same gang had carried out at least ten muggings in Mohammadpur during the previous month. However, those incidents did not attract public attention, no cases were filed, and no investigations were conducted.

Asked about the issue, Fazlul Karim, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of DMP’s Tejgaon Division, told Prothom Alo that many victims choose not to file complaints, making it impossible for police to formally begin investigations.

Concerns about Mohammadpur, long regarded as one of the capital’s most crime-prone areas, were also expressed by home minister Salahuddin Ahmed. Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat yesterday, he said Mohammadpur had served as a safe haven for criminals for many years. A plan has been developed to bring the area under control, and criminal networks will be dismantled gradually.

On 7 June, an armed robbery took place in broad daylight in front of Janata Bank at the busy Shapla Chattar area of Motijheel. A money exchanger was shot and robbed of USD 17,000 by eight robbers arriving on four motorcycles.

Using CCTV footage, police identified one suspect, who had previously been accused in four robbery cases and whose name already appeared on police records. Investigators used his information to locate and arrest him, and subsequently detained three more suspects based on information he provided.

People familiar with law enforcement say the policing system suffered a major setback following the July 2024 movement and the political transition of 5 August. Although police gradually resumed normal operations, no visible and effective initiative has been taken to fully rebuild and strengthen the force. Crime analysts believe that even four months after the current government assumed office, the police have not yet regained full operational capacity.

Despite these concerns, DMP Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations) SN Nazrul Islam told Prothom Alo that the law-and-order situation has improved considerably compared with the circumstances that existed after 5 August, 2024. He said police have been conducting checkpoint operations, block raids, and special drives against listed muggers and extortionists in various parts of the city. At the same time, police are under additional pressure from managing various social and political programmes.

He noted that new crimes are often committed before investigations into previous incidents can be completed. As a result, investigators are sometimes unable to devote sufficient time and attention to individual cases. Nevertheless, preventive activities are continuing, he said.

Sources concerned say Dhaka's criminal underworld became increasingly unstable in the aftermath of the mass uprising. A total of 11 killings linked to territorial control and dominance were reported in different parts of the capital.

Of these 11 murders, eight are being investigated by the Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB), while the remaining cases are being handled by local police stations. DB officials claim they have solved seven of the killings and arrested the shooters involved.

However, none of the investigations has yet been completed. Nor have the planners or those who ordered the killings been brought to justice. According to DB officials, the alleged masterminds behind six of the murders are currently living abroad. While those arrested carried out the killings on the ground, investigators have been unable to gather sufficient evidence to present in court against those who ordered the crimes. As a result, the main masterminds remain beyond the reach of the law.

The latest victim was listed top criminal Yasin Khan Palash, alias "Kaillya Palash," who was shot in Dhaka's Rampura area. He was gunned down near his residence opposite the Bangladesh Television building at around 1:45 p.m. on 12 June. After remaining hospitalised for a week, he died last Friday at Evercare Hospital. He had been released on bail only a month earlier after spending a long period in prison.

Another fugitive top criminal living abroad, Jisan Ahmed, alias "Monti," has emerged as a suspect in the killing. Although two people have been arrested so far, the central mystery behind the murder remains unsolved.

Earlier, on 28 April, another notorious criminal, Nayem Ahmed, alias "Titon," was shot dead in the New Market area of Dhaka. More than a month and a half later, no one has been arrested in connection with the murder.

Rezaul Karim, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the DB's Ramna Division and the supervising officer of the investigation, told Prothom Alo that there had been little significant progress in the case. He said it would not be possible to disclose further details before arrests are made.

Sources involved in the investigation say two notorious criminals—Sanjidul Islam, alias "Imon," and Imamul Hasan, alias "Pichchi Helal"—have emerged as suspects in the Titon murder. Both men have previously been linked to multiple murders and extortion cases, yet police have so far failed to bring either of them to justice.

Another high-profile killing in Dhaka was the murder of Golam Kibria, member secretary of the Pallabi Thana unit of Jubo Dal. On 17 November last year, three masked gunmen entered a shop in Mirpur and shot him dead. Five people have been arrested in connection with the case.

The name of Mirpur-based top criminal Mofizur Rahman, alias "Mamun," has surfaced during the investigation. However, sources within the DB say the case remains unfinished because investigators have not yet been able to identify the person who ordered the killing.

Speaking to Prothom Alo last Thursday, Kibria's wife, Sabiha Akter, said many individuals whose names emerged during the investigation have yet to be arrested by the DB. She added that even though a possible mastermind has been identified, investigators have failed to gather adequate information about him. She expressed doubts about whether the case would be properly investigated and whether she would ultimately receive justice.

DB Additional Commissioner Shafiqul Islam, however, told Prothom Alo that substantial progress had been made in the investigation of almost all high-profile murder cases. He said several investigations were awaiting ballistic examination reports and that charge sheets would be submitted only after technical evidence was fully verified. He expressed hope that investigation reports in at least two cases could be submitted to the court soon.

On 27 May, 2025, a businessman was shot and robbed of Tk 2.2 million in Mirpur-10. Following an investigation, the DB arrested five people, including gang leader Jalil Mondol, on 17 June of that year. The investigation revealed that the same gang had earlier robbed a gold trader of 50 bhori of gold at gunpoint in Kamrangirchar on 24 January and had also looted Tk 5.2 million in a shooting incident on Dhanmondi's Satmasjid Road on 20 October, 2024. The suspects were subsequently shown arrested in both the Kamrangirchar and Dhanmondi cases. All three cases are being investigated by the DB.

Sources connected to the investigations say that most of the accused, including gang leader Jalil Mondol, have already been released on bail. Yet investigators have still not completed the cases.

Prothom Alo spoke with the victims in all three incidents. The victims in the Mirpur robbery involving Tk 2.2 million and the Dhanmondi robbery involving Tk 5.2 million expressed disappointment. Although the key suspects had been arrested, none of the stolen money had been recovered.

Kaiyum Reza, the complainant in the Dhanmondi case, told Prothom Alo that he had received no updates regarding the investigation. Despite the arrests, none of the stolen property had been returned.

DB Additional Commissioner Shafiqul Islam said progress had been made in the investigations. In some cases, not all suspects had been arrested. For example, in the Kamrangirchar gold robbery case, investigators believe more stolen gold may be recovered if another suspect is apprehended. He added that charge sheets had already been submitted in many mugging cases.

Several DB officers, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Prothom Alo that whenever an incident goes viral or attracts widespread media attention, senior officials put pressure on investigators to make quick arrests. 

Once suspects in a high-profile case are arrested, police often hold press conferences to highlight their success. However, little attention is paid afterwards to whether the investigation itself continues to progress. 

As a result, many cases effectively stall. The officers also alleged a lack of coordination among senior DB officials and insufficient supervision of investigations, which has affected field-level personnel as well.

A DMP officer holding the rank of Deputy Commissioner told Prothom Alo that identifying street-level criminals through CCTV footage or technology alone is not enough to control crime. The "godfathers" who finance and direct professional criminal networks in different neighbourhoods must also be brought under the law. However, investigations are often failing to identify these individuals. Consequently, killings linked to territorial dominance and widespread muggings continue. In many cases, lower-level offenders are arrested, released on bail, and then return to committing the same crimes.

People familiar with the situation say there is currently a deficit of oversight and accountability within the police force. As a result, investigations into major thefts, muggings, and robberies often make little progress unless the incidents attract significant public attention.

Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abdul Kaiyum told Prothom Alo that shortcomings in accountability, commitment, and supervision are hampering crime control efforts. He said police leadership must become more proactive. Without strong directives and effective accountability mechanisms for officers responsible for crime control, it will be difficult to bring the situation under control.

According to the former IGP, police have traditionally responded swiftly whenever murders, robberies, or muggings occur. However, he believes the same level of urgency is no longer evident in all such cases today.