Terrorists Run Amok as Police Remain Indifferent

Rafiqul Islam Selim

“I am a man of Boro Sazzad. I am Rayhan’s man. You earn Tk 25 lakh a month. You have to pay Tk 20 lakh. Otherwise, I will abduct and kill your son. I will see how your daughter goes to college.”
This was the threat issued to vehicle businessman Maksudur Rahman of Mozaffar Nagar under Bayezid Bostami Police Station in Chattogram. His wife, Mahfuza Khanam Runa, filed a general diary on September 3 seeking security for the family. However, police have failed to arrest anyone involved.

Wakil Hossain Boga alias Bihari Boga is listed as a top criminal in police records. Police went to arrest him in a case involving the abduction and torture of a Pahartali College teacher over an extortion demand. During the operation, six police personnel, including the OC of Khulshi Police Station, were injured in an attack by Boga’s associates. Boga escaped through a secret tunnel. He later threatened the OC over the phone and openly challenged the police at a press conference. He and his associates are now reportedly moving around openly.
Chattogram Metropolitan Police have become increasingly helpless against criminals. Extortionists, armed criminals, drug dealers, snatchers and robbers are operating with growing impunity, while many police officials appear indifferent. Allegations have surfaced that some politically aligned officers are more concerned with securing important posts and protecting their own interests. Professional officers have reportedly been pushed aside.

The city’s force of around 6,500 police personnel is largely confined to routine duties, with little success in preventing crime. Residents are increasingly being held hostage by criminals. Extortion is reportedly continuing silently, with street vendors, businessmen and industrialists allegedly paying demands to protect their lives and businesses.

Smart Group Managing Director Mujibur Rahman faced gunfire at his Chandanpura residence after criminals demanded Tk 10 crore in extortion. Although police were deployed after he complained, a second shooting occurred in their presence. Police arrested several suspects but failed to arrest any top operative of the Sazzad gang allegedly behind the incident.
Later, the office of internet service provider Digital Dot Net on Bakalia Access Road was openly attacked, vandalised and looted. The attackers allegedly demanded Tk 2 crore upfront and Tk 10 lakh monthly. They were reportedly associates of fugitive top criminal Sazzad Ali Khan alias Boro Sazzad, led by Mobarak Hossain Emon alias David Emon.

Two days before the attack, David Emon allegedly demanded the money over the phone. An audio recording later went viral in which he was heard saying that businesses from Sholoshahar through Bayezid Bostami to Hathazari were operating after reaching agreements with him by paying extortion. He gave the company a two-day ultimatum to pay Tk 2 crore. The attack took place in broad daylight after the deadline expired.
David Emon was later arrested by district police in Jashore, but metropolitan police failed to arrest the other suspects.

For the past 15 and a half years, criminal elements affiliated with the Awami Jubo League and Chhatra League allegedly dominated Chattogram city and district. Following the fall of the government after the student-public movement, a new alignment emerged in the criminal underworld.
Fugitive Sazzad allegedly reactivated his gang and began directing killings and extortion from abroad. He reportedly operates a group of more than 50 armed members. On August 29, 2024, Md Anis and Masud Kaiser were shot dead in public in Kuwaish near Bayezid. Since then, Sazzad’s associates have faced allegations involving killings, extortion, shootings, attacks and vandalism.

Around 50 cadres led by David Emon, Mr. Rayhan and others are reportedly active across the city and district. Their names have surfaced in extortion, sand and soil trading, drug and arms trafficking, killings and shootings. Several murders have allegedly resulted from conflicts involving these groups, including the killing of Patenga Dhakaiya Akbar, a double murder in Bakalia and the killing of Sarwar Hossain Babla during BNP leader Ershad Ullah’s election campaign in Bayezid. Most suspects in these cases remain at large.
District police, however, have continued operations against Mr. Emon’s associates following his arrest. Several top criminals have been detained, including Mobarak Hossain alias Tester Mobarak in an operation on Friday night. In contrast, metropolitan police have reportedly taken little action against criminals still active in the city.
The metropolitan police have 16 police stations as well as specialised units including DB, SB and Counter Terrorism. Around 6,500 personnel work under a police commissioner of DIG rank, three additional commissioners of additional DIG rank and numerous senior officers.

Despite this, residents remain deeply insecure. Snatching has become rampant in some areas, occurring during both day and night. Many victims do not report incidents to police, while there are allegations that police are reluctant to file snatching cases. Victims of extortion are similarly reluctant to seek police help, saying they have little confidence in receiving protection. The use of illegal firearms is also increasing, with shootings occurring over minor disputes. Police have made little progress in recovering illegal weapons, while weapons and ammunition looted from police stations have not all been recovered.

The government had pledged to improve law and order, but little improvement is reportedly visible. The situation could negatively affect the next city corporation election. Police inaction against banned organisations such as Chhatra League and Jubo League has also raised questions. Members of such organisations have reportedly held sudden processions even in front of the police commissioner’s office.

Drug trafficking is another growing problem. Drug dealers are reportedly operating with impunity, while police action remains limited. There are also allegations that some police members are involved in or assisting drug trafficking. Recently, Kotwali Police Station OC Aftab Uddin was withdrawn after an allegation that one lakh yaba tablets seized while being transported from Cox’s Bazar to Chattogram had gone missing was proven.
Teenage gangs are also considered a major law-and-order problem, but police operations against them are reportedly limited. A former metropolitan police officer said most current officers are new, do not know their areas well and lack reliable sources. As a result, police fail to take preventive action and usually become active only after an incident occurs.

In the first seven months of this year, 1,000 criminal incidents were recorded in the city, including 31 murders, 18 abductions, 170 thefts, 44 robberies and 16 attacks on police.