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Crime gangs grip city
[Bangla Daily Star] Extortions and killings in the capital by crime syndicates have reached such a level that quarters of the society that used to be unquestionably safe are also no more immune to becoming victims. From roadside tea stall owners to members of the parliament, successful entrepreneurs, and home or land owners -- none are spared by the gangs led by dreaded criminals. Dakat Shahid leads the largest gang, according to law enforcers. On an average, twenty persons were killed in the capital each month in connection with extortion efforts in the last six months, according to Dhaka Metropolitan Police sources. Around 100 extortion gangs operate in the city, 12 of which are very big with the names of their chiefs on the most wanted list of the law enforcers, the sources said. Most of the chiefs of the big gangs are currently hiding abroad or in jail, but their gangs have already become so efficient in their operations that the chiefs are still being able to run the rackets from wherever they are. Some of the most notorious gangs are led by Dakat Shahid, Shahadat, Subrata Bain, Jishan, Tanvirul Islam Joy, Sweden Aslam, Prakash and Bikash brothers, and Ashique. Sweden Aslam is currently in jail while his extortion operation is still on in Tejgaon industrial area. One of Prakash-Bikash brothers is also in jail while the other is still out in the capital, and running the operation in a part of Tejgaon industrial area, Tejgaon, and Farmgate. Which one of them is in jail was however not disclosed by the law enforcers. All the rest are currently in India, Dubai, and Nepal -- from where they are successfully running their extortion operations, and getting the loot sent to them on a regular basis, the amount of which is in the crores of taka, the sources said. Shahadat's area of operation stretches from Mirpur to Dhanmondi. Subrata Bain and Jishan operate in Bangla Motor, Moghbazar, Malibagh, Shahbagh, Motijheel, and Shegunbagicha areas. Tanvirul Islam Joy runs his operation in Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi, and Hazaribagh areas, while Ashique dominates in Karwan Bazar area. Dakat Shahid's gang, which operates in the old part of the city, and in Keraniganj across the Buriganga river, has been the largest in the capital since 2005. Shahid recently made news headlines after his assassins had killed Dhaka City Corporation ward no 70 councillor Ahmed Hossain, and goldsmith Prem Krishna Roy in Old Dhaka on February 9, and March 4 respectively. Dakat Shahid's gang was hired by a union parishad chairman of Keraniganj for Tk 50 lakh for killing Ahmed Hossain, while Prem was killed by Shahid's assassins as Prem's family had refused to pay Tk 10 lakh demanded by Shahid as extortion. Law enforcers detected 21 assassins on Shahid's payroll, who kill on orders from their chief. Assistant Commissioner (AC) Sanwar of the Detective Branch (DB) told The Daily Star yesterday that Shahid's professional assassins were identified on the basis of information given by several of his arrested cohorts. Six of the professional assassins are currently behind bars. He said those assassins already killed 10 persons in the city over the last two years, due to refusal to pay demanded tolls. Dakat Shahid is currently running his gang from the border area between India and Nepal, according to police. His gang is over 120 strong who are active mostly in Islampur, Tantibazar, Koratitola, Nawabpur, Sutrapur, Alubazar, Moulvibazar, Patuatuli, Gulistan, and some parts of Keraniganj. AC Sanwar said Shahid uses cellphones with Indian numbers to demand tolls, and when his operatives succeed in collecting, he takes 60 percent while the collectors keep the rest. The gang has clear divisions of labour, some target possible preys, some collect the preys' phone numbers, some constantly follow the targets until collection of tolls or murder, some collect the money, while the assassins on payroll are reserved for murdering targets who refuse to pay up. During interrogations, Shahid's arrested cohorts told detectives that they used to call up their targets over phones fixing the amounts of tolls to be paid within fixed deadlines, and with threats of deaths if the deadlines were not met. The extortionists would often blast crackers at their targets' residences or business establishments, to cower them into paying. The extortionists would also keep periodically calling their targets over phones telling them where they had been a while ago, signalling that they were being watched by the gang on a constant basis. The arrestees said in most cases the targets would pay, being terrified by the detail routine of the extortionists. Over the last six months 2,826 cellphone SIM cards were deactivated by Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission on request from law enforcers in connection with 1,525 complaints of phone calls that demanded tolls, with accompanying threats of deaths on failure to pay, according to the DMP sources. Shahid's arrested cohorts said if the targets would show the nerve to go to police, they would inform Shahid about it, and he would decide who to kill. Prem Krishna was shot dead by Shahid's men Biddyut and Kawsar as he had gone to police. Prem's relatives said the extortionists used to follow him, and tell him about it. DB sources said some entrepreneurs of the city also have become informants for Shahid, just to keep themselves safe from his wrath. They inform Shahid about possible targets in the city. AC Sanwar said police are currently looking for a middle aged woman who frequently travels to India to meet Shahid. The woman is currently acting as the second-in-command of Shahid's criminal network in the country, Sanwar added. Posted by: Fred 2010-03-31 |
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