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| image source: The Daily Star |
- When the interim government took over, 4.2 lakh people were arrested.
- 75,000 people are incarcerated at the moment.
The government has begun a search and rescue effort "to root out crime and restore public order" in response to a wave of criminals in the nation.
On average, more than 1,500 people have been detained every day so far in July.
The declaration was made yesterday by Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury following a meeting of the law and order advisory council in response to a slew of violent crimes, including the vicious murder of an Old Dhaka trader.
"The propensity to commit crimes is increasing daily as a result of moral decay, intolerance, and societal instability. He asserted that curbing this is the duty of all of us, especially law enforcement.
The home adviser told reporters at the Secretariat that law enforcement agencies were regularly launching campaigns against all types of criminal activity, such as drug trafficking, terrorism, murder, robbery, extortion, mugging, violence against women, and mob violence.
He stated that in light of the circumstances, the government would begin special or combing operations to apprehend terrorists and criminals who have been identified.
When asked about the start time of the procedure, Jahangir said, "From now on."
Police Headquarters officials stated that the notification made by the home adviser serves as the field level officials' command. Additionally, the police have formally ordered the drives to be conducted.
A superintendent of police in a Chattogram Division district told The Daily Star that they had already given field-level officials orders to step up drives, especially to apprehend extortionists, drug traffickers, and muggers.
"We have also directed them not to consider the political affiliations of any suspect," he stated.
After the attack on "students and common people" in Gazipur, the government began "Operation Devil Hunt" in February, a joint force effort to keep the peace throughout the nation.
The majority of individuals arrested were allegedly members of the Awami League, with an average of 1,330 arrests each day at the time.
Following former president Abdul Hamid's departure on May 18, which sparked protests from a number of political groupings, another round of arrests was made.
Two days following his departure, on May 10, there were 2,271 arrests, the most in a single day.
Since the start of the special nationwide drive on April 19, 1,26,687 persons have been arrested, according to sources at the Police Headquarters. Since the interim administration came into power in August of last year, almost 4.20 lakh individuals have been arrested overall.
According to police, the majority of those arrested were later granted bond and allowed to leave the jail.
According to prison statistics, there are now about 75,000 convicted or accused people incarcerated nationwide.
The first half of 2025 saw a number of violent crimes, including as murder, mugging, robbery, extortion, and mob violence, according to data from Police Headquarters.
According to PHQ data, 1,930 homicides and 1,336 robbery and dacoity crimes were reported during this time.
According to Ain o Salish Kendra, 89 people were killed in mob violence, 45 of them were in Dhaka.
Numerous of these episodes were captured on camera and extensively disseminated on social media, which increased public anxiety and insecurity.
Lal Chand, also known as Sohag, was a scrap metal vendor who was brutally murdered in broad daylight on July 9 in the Mitford neighbourhood of Dhaka. The lack of involvement was heavily criticised after a video of the assault went viral.
Armed men reportedly stormed a Pallabi shop on Friday after the owner refused to pay Tk 5 crore in extortion. A previous leader of the Jubo Dal was assassinated in Khulna on the same day. His tendons were severed after he was shot. Following Juma prayers, a machete was used to slash the 75-year-old Khatib mosque in Chandpur.
According to the home adviser, the government handled the horrific murder in Old Dhaka with "utmost seriousness" yesterday. Seven of the 19 defendants identified in the FIR have already been taken into custody.
He stated that other individuals will face legal repercussions if they are discovered to be involved in the probe.
"No one has been spared because of their political or other identification, and they won't be spared again. No criminal will be spared by the police," he continued.
The home adviser added that a comprehensive inquiry will be conducted to ascertain whether the administration or law enforcement authorities were negligent or lenient in the situation.
News Source: THE DAILY STAR