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Twenty-seven alleged members of a teen gang in Cumilla have been sent to a child development centre in Gazipur following a recent anti-gang crackdown across the district.
The teenagers were among those detained in separate raids by police and the Detective Branch (DB). The latest two were sent to Tongi on Sunday morning, said Md Shah Alam Khan, senior jail superintendent of Cumilla Central Jail.
According to the district police media cell, police and DB launched an anti-teen-gang drive across Cumilla, including the city and all 18 police stations, on September 23.
By Friday night, more than 2,000 people, including alleged teen gang members and individuals involved in drug-related and other crimes, had been detained in separate operations over five days.
Of them, 833 were produced before courts, while 1,209 were released into the custody of their guardians after giving written undertakings. Most of those released on undertakings were students, police said.
Meanwhile, the number of inmates at Cumilla Central Jail has risen sharply amid the ongoing crackdown. The facility, designed to accommodate around 1,500 inmates, was holding about 3,500 people on Sunday morning, creating difficulties for inmates amid the intense heat.
“We are managing the situation despite the difficulties,” Shah Alam said, adding that four new multi-storey buildings at the jail were awaiting inauguration.
“We want the four buildings to be opened as soon as possible. Once they become operational, the pressure on the jail will ease,” he said.
The jail superintendent said 50 teenagers arrested during the ongoing drive were currently being held at the jail. Those unlikely to secure bail soon are being sent to child development centres on court orders.
So far, 27 teenagers have been sent to such centres, while the others have secured bail, he said.
Earlier, two of the four people arrested over the September 18 killing of seventh-grader Opritom, son of Cumilla University teacher Dr Nahida Begum, were sent to a child development centre on September 21.