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Police have detained 519 people in an overnight anti-teen gang operation in Cumilla, bringing the total number detained in the district’s first six phases of the crackdown to 2,561.
The operation was conducted from Thursday evening to Friday morning across 18 police stations and the Detective Branch (DB), said Lutfor Rahman, additional superintendent of police and media officer of the district police, on Friday.
According to police, 2,042 people had been detained during the first five phases of the drive. Of the total detained so far, 1,409 were released into their families’ custody after verification and signing undertakings. Legal action has been taken against others based on allegations and evidence of their involvement in offences.
The crackdown was intensified following the murder of seventh-grade student Ishayat Shahriar Opratim in Cumilla on September 18. The child, whose mother is Nahida Begum, an associate professor in the Bangla Department at Cumilla University, went missing on September 18. His body was recovered the following day from a forest in the Lalmai hills in the Sananda area of Sadar South upazila.
The killing, reportedly linked to an iPhone snatching and a financial dispute, prompted demands for stronger action against teenage gangs.
Police said they identified areas with suspected gang activity and conducted coordinated raids involving district police units, the DB and senior officers. The campaign has also expanded to Noakhali, Chattogram and Chandpur, where police have detained dozens of teenagers and young adults.
Lutfor Rahman said the latest operation was carried out under the direction of Superintendent of Police Md Anisuzzaman as part of regular enforcement efforts. Authorities are verifying whether those detained were involved in criminal activities before deciding on further legal action.
He said the drives aim to prevent teenagers from becoming involved in crime, while ensuring that innocent people are not harassed in the name of enforcement.
In the fifth phase, conducted on the night of October 2, police detained 370 people. Of them, 279 were released to their families after signing undertakings, while legal action was taken against the remaining 91. Police also arrested four members of the notorious teenage gang known as the Ratan Group, or R Squad, including its alleged leader Imran Hossain, known as Ratan.
Police said they were checking those detained for links to teenage gangs, drug-related offences, other criminal cases and outstanding arrest warrants. The anti-gang operations will continue, they added.