Again the murders and injuries, Reckless top terrorists, more happening where in Dhaka
Photo Collected
27 September 2000. To take control of the crime world and extortion, the opposing terrorists shot and killed one of the most talked about criminals in the crime world, Humayun Kabir alias Murgi Milan, in the court premises. After that, the crime world of the capital was busy with back and forth murders and shootings for a long time.
A similar incident happened on April 28. Top terrorist Khandkar Naeem Ahmed alias Titon was publicly shot dead on the road by the opposing terrorists. Through this incident, Dhaka’s criminal world and the violence of professional terrorists came into discussion again. In the last 21 months, there have been 23 high-profile incidents in the capital, some of which were direct and others were behind professional terrorists.
বিজ্ঞাপন
Out of the 23 reported incidents, 7 were murders. In six of these, someone from the opposing team was killed by professional terrorists. In the other one, a hacking incident occurred. Apart from the murders, the rest were business shootings, bomb blasts, stab wounds, extortion and threats.
These 23 crime-centered incidents took place in Dhanmondi, Hazaribagh, Rayerbazar, Mohammadpur, Adabar, Mirpur, Pallabi, Kafrul, Gulshan, Badda, Moghbazar, Hatirjheel and Motijheel areas. These areas are now very important on the crime map of Dhaka, known as the ‘underworld’. There is a shift of power in the criminal world between some old top terrorists, some their associates, some local groups with political identities.
বিজ্ঞাপন
After August 5, 2024, due to the fragile state of the law and order forces including the police, professional terrorists started to become active in various ways. At least seven known terrorists, including Imamul Hasan Helal alias Picchi Helal of Mohammadpur area, Sanjidul Islam alias Imon of Hazaribagh, Khandkar Naeem Ahmed alias Titon, Abbas Ali of Mirpur (known as ‘Killer Abbas’ according to the police), Sheikh Mohammad Aslam alias Sweden Aslam of Tezgaon were released on bail. At least three of them went abroad on bail. Some were previously abroad, sitting there and conducting criminal activities in the country. After August 5, 2024, Subrata Bain also became active.
A list of 23 ‘top terrorists’ was published in 2001 during the BNP-led four-party coalition government. Terrorists like Emon, Titon and Picchi Helal in that list are supposed to be under surveillance by law enforcement agencies. But where are these terrorists now, the reality of bail in the cases, whether they are appearing in court or not – these issues have not been effectively monitored. And the terrorist groups have used this opportunity.
Law enforcement sources say that a section of unemployed youth in financial distress is being used by terrorists based abroad. Those who have no regular source of income, are frustrated with life, are being used as tenants in exchange for money. Many of the shooters involved in recent shootings come from such backgrounds.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations) SN Md. Nazrul Islam told Prothom Alo that most of the top terrorists are now staying outside the country. From outside the country, they are “shaking the stick” of Dhaka’s criminal world. Some may live in the country. He said, “Area-wise these terrorists and their associates are being listed. There will be a combing operation against them very soon.
Crime-centric economy is behind the 23 recent incidents analyzed by Prothom Alo. The murders that took place due to previous enmity, there was also the control of various ways of making illegal money behind the conflict. Although many of these criminals have political identities, in most of the cases, their conflicts are in garment factory fraud, household garbage, dish and internet business, vehicle subscription, sacrificial animal market, contract work of various organizations and illegal collection of money from various construction works by establishing control and dominance of area-based extortion.
Investigation showed that in most cases, calls are being made from foreign numbers for extortion purposes. If money is not paid, there are incidents like shooting at the establishment, attacking the owner and closing down the establishment in some places. The last such incident happened on April 19. On that day, professional terrorists shot into a business establishment in Mirpur of the capital without asking for one crore rupees.
Earlier, on March 13 last year, BNP member of Ward No. 36 of Hatirjheel area was seriously injured. to Rajan He was beaten up and head-butted inside a club built on railway line land next to Wireless Railgate in Moghbazar. Later he was left for dead. Behind this incident, the top terrorist Subrata Bain and another top terrorist Md. The law enforcement agencies came to know about Mullah Masud’s involvement. Later on May 27, these two professional terrorists were arrested by the army from Kushtia.
About the incident that day. Rajan told Prothom Alo that a group entered the club and opened fire due to a dispute over dirty money. Although he was not shot in the body, he was later hit on the head with a switch gear knife and glass. He said, ‘They left me thinking I was dead. People rent beds in exchange for money. I know them, but there is no trial.
Before this, from October 21 to 24 (four days) last year, the people concerned had to stop the garbage collection in Mohakhali and Niketan areas in the face of threats and attacks by terrorists. Garbage collection was halted due to several phone calls and attacks from foreign numbers in the name of another top terrorist Bikash Kumar Biswas to take control of the business from local BNP leaders.
Many of the professional terrorists are being silently subsidized by businessmen, say people concerned. Fear of being attacked if they make a direct complaint, insecurity even if they sue—many victims do not come forward. As a result, all the real incidents are not coming in the police records. For this reason, although the trend of terrorists can be understood with 23 incidents including seven murders, their activities are much wider.
Analyzing the 7 cases of professional criminals’ conflict murders in the last 21 months, they are very similar in pattern. All of them were killed in the same attack. In most cases, these murders were planned by terrorists who had fled abroad. They are co-ordinating online the entire process of identifying targets, pre-tracking, fast-tracking, escaping on motorcycles or speeding vehicles in the country. Again, instead of killing, there were incidents of murder. In many cases the victim himself had ties to criminal networks, political identities or economic control.
Such information has also come out in the investigation of the law and order forces regarding the two murders in Badda and Gulshan areas of the capital. On March 20 last year, internet businessman Sumon Mia alias Telly Sumon was shot dead in Gulshan. After this incident, BNP leader Kamrul Ahsan Sadhan was shot dead at Gudaraghat in Badda on May 25 last year.
Later, a source of Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Police (DB) said that two murders occurred in Badda area due to conflict between two terrorist groups over control of cable TV, internet business and extortion. Among them, Suman Mia, a follower of the Mehdi group, was shot dead by members of Robin, Dalim and Mahbub groups. In retaliation, Kamrul Ahsan Sadhan was shot dead.
Earlier, on November 10 last year, top terrorist Tariq Saif Mamun was shot dead in front of the National Medical Institute Hospital in Old Dhaka. After appearing in court, he was shot dead at close range. About two years and two months before this, on September 18, 2023, an attempt was made to kill him by shooting him while he was stuck in a traffic jam on the road of Tejgaon, Dhaka. Only he was released after 24 years of imprisonment. That day when Mamun tried to run away from the car, he was shot dead. A motorcyclist named Bhuvan Chandra Sheel was killed that day in firing by terrorists.
On September 20, 2024, the murder of top terrorists started with the incident of Rayerbazar twin murder. The accused in that incident was Imamul Hasan alias Picchi Helal. Another accused in this case was Emon Hossain, head of youth gang ‘Alex Group’ in Rayerbazar. He was hacked to death on April 12 this year.
On April 19 last year in Hatirjheel, the name of terrorist Subrata Bain came up as a suspect in the murder of Juba Dal leader Arif Sikdar. The names of three top terrorists are also emerging in the recent murder of top terrorist Khandakar Naeem Ahmed Titon in Newmarket area.
In some of these murders, law enforcement agencies have arrested the accused, remanded them, recovered weapons, but the masterminds of the murders remain elusive. Several sources related to the criminal world said that some have taken citizenship of other countries. Because of this, the series of murders did not stop. People concerned say the spate of killings is sending a message to the general public—the ‘network’ of top terrorists is back to normal.
Such activities of top terrorists have had an impact on other crimes as well. Criminals under various names, including juvenile gangs, are operating under the umbrella of professional terrorists. Mohammadpur, Bachila and Hazaribagh areas are big examples of this. After August 5, 2024, in addition to big terrorists, more than 10 small groups with indigenous weapons and firearms started carrying out one incident after another, including open exercises, shootings and attacks on occupying institutions.
Crime experts say that Dhaka’s criminal world has now taken a mixed form of old terrorist politics and new urban economy. Top terrorists out on bail, informants in hiding, local gangs, political umbrellas and extortion markets—unless these five layers are broken, it will be difficult to stop this cycle of murders, shootings and terror in the capital.
Associate Professor of Social Welfare and Research Institute of Dhaka University Touhidul Haque told Prothom Alo that many of the terrorists were released on bail after August 5. It was the responsibility of the law enforcement agencies to monitor whether they indulged in crime again after being released from prison. But after reviewing the recent events, it seems that they could not be properly monitored.
According to this analyst, high-level criminals need political asylum to commit crimes. Again, in the reality of Bangladesh, sometimes political parties or political activists need the cooperation of such criminals to maintain their positions. When these two sides exchange their power, crime in the society increases, the violence of the top terrorists also increases. Therefore, the political parties should be careful that the criminals do not get political asylum in any way. If the government wants to establish the rule of law, visible action must be taken against all types of criminals, including top level criminals.
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