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Several organised criminal gangs have become active around Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, allegedly targeting expatriate Bangladeshis and robbing them of their valuables.
The issue came into sharp focus recently after a Bangladeshi expatriate’s gold sent for his sister’s wedding was allegedly looted in the Kawla area. Police analysed CCTV footage of the incident and arrested several people, including the general secretary of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and a BNP leader.
Against this backdrop, law enforcement agencies have taken an initiative to bring the entire stretch from Kawla to Jasim Uddin intersection in Uttara under CCTV surveillance. Police have also increased both uniformed and plainclothes monitoring in areas outside the airport.
Airport Police Station Officer-in-Charge Kamrul Islam Talukder said the process of installing around 100 new CCTV cameras has begun. Currently, 25 cameras are operating from in front of the third terminal to the roundabout.
The new cameras will cover both sides of the road from Crown Plaza to Jasim Uddin, including the area from the station across the railway line to the Hajj Camp. The move is aimed at quickly identifying and apprehending criminals if expatriates are attacked or robbed.
An investigation found that three major types of criminal gangs operate around the airport: snatchers, gangs posing as drivers and so-called “anesthesia gangs” that drug victims before robbing them.
Snatchers are reportedly most active around the Kishoreganj and Bhairab bus counters to the left after leaving the airport and in the Kawla intersection area south of the police box.
Local businessman Abu Bakar Siddique said the area had virtually become a safe haven for snatchers. Beggars and street children reportedly target expatriates during the day, while armed gangs operate at night.
Another businessman, Abdul Halim, said people were afraid to speak out against the gangs despite recognising some of their members.
Driver gangs reportedly target expatriates who are not met by relatives or private vehicles. They lure them into cars by offering unusually low fares. Once on the way, accomplices join the vehicle and take the passengers to isolated locations, where they are assaulted and robbed before being abandoned.
Expatriates staying at hotels near the airport and those arriving directly from abroad are particularly vulnerable to such traps.
Members of the so-called anesthesia gangs, meanwhile, allegedly pose as fellow expatriates through their dress and appearance, establish friendly relations with victims and later drug them before stealing their belongings.
OC Kamrul Islam said surveillance around the airport had been intensified more than ever. Beggars and street children suspected of harassing expatriates are being detained, while regular drives are being conducted.
Sources at the Airport Armed Police Battalion (APBn) also said intelligence units, alongside uniformed police, had been instructed to remain highly alert to ensure the safety of expatriates in areas outside the airport.
