A mugger near Dhanmond Road 32 was recorded snatching a man’s bag only metres away where traffic police were on duty on Friday.
The incident took place around 12:15am, near Dhanmondi 32, opposite New Model Multilateral High School.
In a now-viral video that recorded the unfortunate event, the mugger could be seen brandishing a machete at the victim.
The footage showed a mugger dressed in black pants threatening a young man wearing a white shirt with a machete. The mugger snatched the victim’s bag and crossed the road and fled the scene. Bystanders did not intervene.
During the incident, several traffic police officers were visible nearby, facing opposite directions, busy managing traffic, while the mugger walked right past them carrying the weapon.
It raised serious concern and criticism on social media over public safety and security, especially given the apparent inaction of the policemen nearby.
Kya Swee Nue, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Dhanmondi Police Station, said the incident happened when the policemen were facing the other way and controlling traffic and so did not notice it.
He added that no one reported the incident, and the police only became aware of it after watching the video footage. They are currently searching for the victim and the miscreant.