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| Bangladesh |
| Cross-border crimes go up after BDR carnage |
| 2009-04-11 |
| Cross-border movement of criminals, and trafficking of illicit goods including small arms increased alarmingly in the days following the events in Pilkhana Headquarters of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), observed an internal security report. The national security is likely to be affected by the recent development, and trafficking of illegal weapons might rise taking advantage of it, the report cautioned. Director General of BDR Maj Gen Md Mainul Islam however told The Daily Star over the phone yesterday that the number of illegal cross-border activities has been dropping fast with the increasing activities of the border security force, initiated lately. "Our border patrol activities have increased with the passing of time. We've tightened the control on the border areas resulting in arrests of illegal intruders, and seizure of illegal goods," he observed. The internal security report, submitted to the highest authorities of the government in early April, observed that the post BDR mutiny time has been marked by sharp increase of different illegal activities across all frontiers of Bangladesh. It identified the illegal activities as trafficking of women and children, and illicit narcotics, and smuggling of arms and ammunitions. It mentioned that the price of a bottle of illicit narcotic, phensydil, had been around Tk 700 before the events in the BDR headquarters, the price of which nose dived to around Tk 350 since then, due to massive increase in inbound smuggling of the drug. It also observed, "Since most of the members of different battalions of BDR were either directly or indirectly involved in the mutiny and lawlessness of February 25 and 26, so most of them are in a state of confusion and dilemma about their careers and future until the investigation is over. That is why, many of them are not playing an active role in guarding the borders and in curbing smuggling." Quoting anonymous sources the report mentioned, "Keeping in mind the uncertainty of their future, some of them are even trying to ensure a future by getting themselves involved in cross-border smuggling." |
| Posted by:Steve White |