Authorities have begun compiling a nationwide watchlist of extortionists, armed criminals and illegal weapons holders in preparation for a special crackdown, amid growing public concern over a surge in violent crime.
Police and intelligence agencies are drawing up the list based on information from multiple sources, including field-level intelligence and previous criminal records.
Officials said that where suspects have political links or influential patrons, those connections will also be documented. Emerging neighbourhood gang leaders and juvenile offenders are likewise being included, with operations to be conducted on the basis of the completed database.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said on Wednesday that a countrywide operation against extortionists would begin soon, starting particularly from Dhaka. Law enforcement agencies, he added, have been instructed to identify suspects and bring them under the law without delay.
He said authorities were also directed to prepare a “transparent list” of armed criminals, hardened offenders and individuals creating disorder in society, and to take action accordingly.
Earlier, Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman told an event in Jhenaidah that the government’s reputation could not be undermined by “a handful of dishonest individuals”. Police, he said, had been instructed to act impartially in tackling terrorism and serious crime.
Inspector General of Police Md Ali Hossain Fakir has meanwhile directed superintendents of police in all 64 districts to adopt a “zero tolerance” stance against terrorism and extortion, signalling a tougher enforcement posture nationwide.
The planned drive follows a series of violent incidents that have unsettled communities in the capital and beyond. Reports suggest a sudden rise in cases of extortion, murder and rape in recent weeks, while narcotics networks have become increasingly brazen.
Series of violent incidents
Professor Asma Sadia Runa, head of the Department of Social Welfare at Islamic University, was stabbed to death on Wednesday. On 28 February in Chattogram, gunmen opened fire at the residence of Smart Group Managing Director Mujibur Rahman after allegedly failing to obtain extortion money.
On the night of 1 March in Khulna’s Bagmara area, a man named Abdul Aziz was shot and fatally attacked by assailants who arrived on a motorcycle. A day earlier, Jubo Dal leader Khan Murad was killed in a dispute reportedly linked to the distribution of proceeds from a government market lease. A local Chhatra Dal leader was later expelled from his party and arrested in connection with the incident.
In Ishwardi, Pabna, intruders entered a house at midnight on 28 February, killing a grandmother and abducting her granddaughter, who was later found raped and murdered. Police arrested a relative in connection with the case; the suspect reportedly confessed during questioning. A child was also found murdered inside the Botanical Garden and Eco Park in Sitakunda, further heightening public alarm.
Elsewhere, members of the Rapid Action Battalion arrested a recently expelled district Jubo Dal leader in Rangpur over allegations of attempting to seize control of a cable and internet business linked to a political figure currently in prison. In Natore, another Jubo Dal leader was detained after allegedly demanding extortion money in front of a police station’s officer-in-charge.
14,000 cases in one month
Data from police headquarters underline the scale of the challenge. According to official records, 14,058 cases relating to robbery, dacoity, murder, violence against women and children, abduction, theft, narcotics and illegal arms were filed nationwide in February alone. Of these, 287 were murder cases, 1,281 involved violence against women and children, 87 concerned abduction, 828 theft, 269 were filed under the Arms Act and 4,922 under the Narcotics Control Act.
Among the country’s eight police ranges, Dhaka Range recorded 73 murder cases, while Chattogram Range recorded 56. In the capital alone, 21 murder cases were filed during the month.
Officials now face mounting public pressure to ensure that the promised zero-tolerance drive delivers tangible results; and that the forthcoming crackdown is both effective and even-handed.
What criminologists say
Sociologist and crime expert Touhidul Haque, associate professor at Dhaka University Institute of Social Welfare and Research, told TIMES that the government should expose those who benefit from extortion money.
He said that public confidence would return if neutral operations are carried out without political consideration and offenders are brought to justice.
Former inspector general of police Nurul Huda suggested police could collect information from the district level before launching operations. He also said that efforts to recover looted weapons should be intensified.
