Professional and seasonal criminals are becoming active around the month of Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr. Activities of fake currency gangs, robbers, thieves and other criminals have already been seen.
To tackle the situation, the law enforcement agencies have decided to strengthen drives in Ramadan.
However, several sources from the Home Ministry said the name of “Operation Devil Hunt” would no longer be used.
Intelligence reports have also mentioned fear of a spike in some specific crimes during the month of Ramadan.
The government has also asked the law enforcement agencies to increase surveillance. In line with that, the law enforcers have strengthened the surveillance across the country.
A core committee meeting was held on Sunday in the meeting room of the Home Ministry at the Secretariat regarding the law and order situation. It was decided that the ongoing special operation to improve the law and order situation will be further strengthened during the month of Ramadan.
The law enforcement agencies will give utmost importance to preventing robberies and extortion on the highways and stopping robberies during deposits and withdrawals of large sums of money from banks.
Earlier, Operation Devil Hunt began across the country on 8 February. As many as 11,882 people were arrested in this joint force operation till 1 March.
The Home Ministry decided to conduct Operation Devil Hunt in the context of an anarchic situation including attacks, vandalism and other incidents in different parts of the country. During this, 15-16 students were attacked at the house of former Liberation War Minister AKM Mozammel Haque in Gazipur on the night of 7 February. One of them died. The special operation has been going on since then.
Yesterday, the core committee meeting at the Home Ministry also discussed “Operation Devil Hunt”. The meeting said that the joint force operation to control crime will continue, but the name “Operation Devil Hunt” will not be used.
The core committee meeting has asked the authorities concerned to ensure that human rights violations do not occur in the special raids.
Sources said that there are various discussions and criticisms about the name “Operation Devil Hunt”. It was discussed in yesterday’s meeting that many people, including high-ranking officials of the interim government, do not like this code name.
In such a context, the joint force’s operation to curb crimes will be further strengthened, but the name “Operation Devil Hunt” will no longer be used.
After this decision, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the police headquarters did not disclose the number of arrests made in the raids yesterday.
Earlier, the arrests in “Operation Devil Hunt” were reported separately every day since the raids began on 8 February.
Fear of rise in crimes in Ramadan
Law enforcement said economic activities increase during the month of Ramadan. Supermarkets buzz with crowds till late night. Criminals take this chance of increased activities during Ramadan.
Miscreants usually target to steal vehicles as owners or drivers stay away for a long time. Other crimes such as snatching of valuables and use of counterfeit bank notes also increase at this period of time.
For this , special instructions are always given to the law enforcement agencies about drives against counterfeit notes during Ramadan.
Police and RAB headquarters sources said that activities of “tana parties”, the gangs that snatch valuables from people, increase during Ramadan. People going to malls become targets of hijacking and robbery. Organised car theft gangs also become active during this time. These incidents occur more around iftar markets, malls, bus stands, railway stations, and launch terminals. The surveillance of law enforcement agencies has been strengthened in such crowded areas.
RAB’s legal and media wing director Lieutenant Colonel Md Munim Ferdous told Prothom Alo that some specific crimes always shot up during the month of Ramadan. Around 200 patrolling teams of RAB have been working to prevent these crimes. Moreover, RAB men in plainclothes are also working in crowded places.
Special attention to financial institutions
A survey by the Bangladesh Shop Owners Association (BSOA) has revealed that a business worth about Tk 1.7 trillion is being done ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.
One of the main targets of criminal gangs active around the month of Ramadan is robbery at financial institutions. These incidents occur more during the transportation of money and money transactions.
Police headquarters sources said that they have already called upon people to seek police cooperation in cases of transactions of large sums of money. Apart from this, the police have been instructed to conduct special surveillance on financial institutions and all types of businesses.
In this regard, Assistant Inspector General (Media and Public Relations) of the police headquarters, Enamul Haque Sagar, told Prothom Alo that special operations are underway across the country to curb crimes.
Additional security measures have been taken to combat crime around Ramadan. More than 500 police patrol teams are going out every day in the capital alone. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) is providing “money escort” services in the capital for cash withdrawal and transportation.
Police activities in the first day of Ramadan
DMP sources said a total of 575 patrol teams of the police were active in the first 24 hours of Ramadan in Dhaka while 65 checkposts were set up. A total of 167 were arrested for various crimes in Dhaka that time. The DMP said six of the arrested were robbers, 18 professional hijackers, four extortionists and 10 thieves.
DMP deputy commissioner (media and public relations) M Talebur Rahman said integrated checkposts and patrols have been increased to keep the law and order situation under control.
According to DMP’s crime and control centre sources, alongside the DMP patrolling teams, special units of the police have been working in different crime-prone areas of the city.
In the last 24 hours, 14 patrol teams of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC), 12 teams of Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) and 10 of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) jointly worked with DMP.
Moreover, police’s specialised unit Armed Police Battalion (APBn) conducted 20 checkpoints in the city. These activities will continue throughout the month.
Cluster of decisions in core committee meeting
The Home Ministry in a press release said the core committee meeting took a cluster of decisions to improve the law and order situation of the country.
The meeting decided that chiefs of different units of the police, deputy police commissioners, Army’s brigade chiefs and other senior officials would brief the media about every incident.
It was also decided that the government will take different steps to spread the truth by debunking fake news, misinformation and disinformation campaigns.
The law enforcers have been asked to update the list of criminals in police stations and take quick steps against them. Steps have been taken to procure motorbikes for DMP members, BGB, Ansar and Coast Guard members so that patrolling can be intensified. Coordinated drives are being launched in crime-prone areas.
The meeting also discussed that case monitoring committees have been set up in districts and cities to identify real criminals by reviewing cases. The meeting also decided that responsible persons of the government and top officials of law enforcers will conduct sudden visits in the field levels to monitor the situation.
The cases filed by the family members of martyrs of July mass uprising victims are being closely monitored to ensure trial of those involved with the killing.
Police checkpots and the number of patrol teams have been increased in important spots. The army, different units of police and the BGB are conducting joint drives in specific areas. Alongside regular patrolling in the city streets, members of the Navy and Coast Guard have been deployed for additional patrolling.
Patrols of law enforcers have also been increased in Dhaka city’s adjacent areas such as Tongi, Bosila, Keraniganj and Munshiganj.