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| Bangladesh |
| Hunt on for outlaw patrons |
| 2009-09-11 |
| [Bangla Daily Star] Law enforcement agencies have prepared a fresh list of top outlaw cadres, their kingpins and political mentors in the country's southwestern region as they launched a drive last Saturday to arrest the criminals. Names of 280 armed operatives of different outlaw and criminal groups, 80 linchpins and as many as 150 political mentors, often dubbed as godfather, have been included in the list, officials concerned told The Daily Star. A number of high officials of law enforcement agencies in the region confirmed that a fresh list has been made but declined to disclose the exact timeframe of the drive. Some sources said the drive was launched Saturday last maintaining a low-key. The law-enforcers caught long-wanted alleged political mentor of outlaw activities Mokhlesur Rahman Mukul from Dhaka on the very next day. The fresh list includes the most wanted criminals from outlawed parties and criminal gangs, their armed cadres active in the region and their godfathers including a good number of leaders holding posts in major political parties, sources said. "Those people may be influential because of their political clout or other powers. When they shelter or patronise the criminals, they also become criminals in the eyes of law," Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of police of Khulna Range Sheikh Hemayat Hossain told The Daily Star over phone declining to say anything specific regarding the list. "Our action is now against those who are criminals," the DIG quipped. Acting Commanding Officer of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in Khulna Division Major Md Khalid told The Daily Star that at times it is very difficult to define godfathers. "We, however, have considered the background of a person, not the political affiliation. If anybody is found out to be a criminal by the nature of his acts, we should take action no matter which political parties they belong." Sources said the process of preparing fresh list started upon directive from the government amidst escalating violence and killings in the outlaw-infested 10 districts of the southwest. At least 269 people were killed, mostly by different outlaw outfits, in the 10 southwestern districts since January this year. Kushtia tops the list of killings with 70 murders followed by 49 in Jhenidah, 46 in Jessore, 30 in Khulna, 26 in Chuadanga, 12 in Meherpur, 11 in Satkhira, nine in Bagerhat, and eight each in Narail and Magura. Frequency of killings during July-August period prompted Inspector General of Police (IGP) Nur Mohammad and Rab Director General (DG) Hassan Mahmood Khandker to rush to Kushtia on August 20 and declare that a joint drive plan was in the offing. Intelligence agencies of different law enforcement agencies including police and Rab with the help of other agencies prepared the latest short-list, sifting through two previous lists--one prepared in 2004 during the rule of BNP-Jamaat coalition government and another last year during the tenure of caretaker government. The list prepared in 2004 had names of some 2,200 criminals of 12 outlawed parties and crime rackets along with a number of their political patrons while the second list prepared in September-November of 2008 included names of 2,847 criminals and their godfathers. Sources at different law enforcement agencies said use of criminals by the godfathers for various purposes is an old tradition in the region. The influential persons mainly belonging to different political parties use the outlawed parties' strength to establish supremacy, to kill opponents or to rig vote during the elections. They said though lists were prepared in the past on a few occasions, no massive step had been taken to net the political mentors of the outlawed parties. This time the high officials of law enforcement agencies are determined to arrest the most wanted criminals, their kingpins and political godfathers as well, they said. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 Law enforcement agencies have prepared a fresh list of top outlaw cadres, their kingpins and political mentors in the country's southwestern region... Shucks, thought this was a story about the Mexican-American border. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2009-09-11 09:43 |
| #1 The ELEPHANTS-JUMBOS/CAMELS OF ANARCHY ["Sons of Anarchy" TV Show]??? Gut nuthin. D *** NG IT, NOW I'A-WANTIN' WANT A NEW MOTORBIKE! |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2009-09-11 00:41 |