Photo : Messenger
The police have initiated a special effort to apprehend approximately 10,000 individuals, ranging from political leaders to professional criminals, in preparation for the upcoming elections.
Concerns have been raised that these fugitive criminals may disrupt the upcoming elections. Consequently, the Ministry of Home Affairs received instructions from the parliamentary standing committee to direct the police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) to take steps to apprehend these criminals.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Joint Commissioner Biplab Kumar Sarkar informed The Daily Messenger that the police regularly conduct raids to apprehend fugitives with warrants. These efforts are aimed at arresting these criminals to ensure that they do not interfere with the upcoming elections in any way.
Reportedly, there are approximately 10,000 or more criminals who currently have arrest warrants. These individuals have been booked in various cases and have been evading court appearances for an extended period. Law enforcement agencies have initiated these efforts under the special guidance of the Ministry. Currently, the police, RAB, and intelligence agencies are striving to apprehend all these criminals.
According to the prosecution branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court, arrest warrants have been issued against more than 10,000 criminals in 49 police stations and court cases in the capital.
These individuals include political leaders, professional criminals, and drug dealers. Among them, approximately 5,000 general registered cases (GR) have been filed at the police station, and about 5,000 complaint registered cases (CR) have been filed in court. Arrest warrants have been issued against these criminals due to their prolonged absence from court proceedings.
Sources suggest that law and order forces are currently facing significant challenges in the lead-up to the upcoming elections. The operation is being carried out across the country, and law enforcement agencies are working diligently to apprehend all these criminals in accordance with the Ministry of Home Affairs' instructions.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Joint Commissioner Biplab Kumar Sarkar explained that when a case is filed in the police station or court, the accused must appear in court and seek bail. If an accused individual fails to appear in court despite being indicted for an extended period, the court considers them absconding, leading to the issuance of an arrest warrant. The police are actively working on this matter.
In response to a question, he mentioned that sometimes the information, including the criminal's name, father's name, and even their permanent and current address, may be inaccurate, which can delay the police's identification process. Nonetheless, the police are making efforts to apprehend all these criminals.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Media Center Deputy Commissioner of Police Farooq Hossain explained that the process of arresting individuals with arrest warrants is an ongoing responsibility of the police. They are instructed to arrest these criminals upon sight.
Khandaker Al Moin, Director of Law and Media Branch of RAB, stated that RAB headquarters and various battalions are working to apprehend these criminals. Their duty is to bring individuals with cases and warrants to justice.
Various sources from thana police have confirmed that they have started working under special instructions to arrest individuals with arrest warrants. Special vigilance has been implemented in the police station areas, and plainclothes police officers have been identifying the locations of the warranted individuals to conduct operations for their arrest.
Rafiqul Islam, OC of Rampura police station, confirmed that the operation is ongoing to arrest individuals for whom arrest warrants have been issued.
Banani Police Station OC Mostafizur Rahman provided information about these operations, indicating that individuals with warrants are being arrested daily, and strict instructions have been given to all sub-inspectors of the police station in this regard.
The Officer-in-charge of Shahali police station in the capital, Aminul Islam, noted that they have received special instructions and are following the guidance of senior officials.
It has been confirmed by talking to officers in charge that this operation has been reinforced in other police stations in the capital.
Messenger/Imran/Disha
