Photo : Collected
Mugging gangs going by various names, such as Agyan Party, Malam Party, etc., continue their activities in different areas of the capital despite police operations.
Police often arrest members of the gangs, but they commit crimes again after obtaining bail and walking out of jail.
Apart from Agyan Party and Malam Party, there are Tana Party, Salam Party, and Bami Party. Compared to the other gangs, the activities of Agyan Party and Malam Party are frequently reported in Dhaka.
They mostly operate in crowded places and bus terminals, including Gabtoli, Sayedabad, Mohakhali, and Gulistan. They mainly target people coming from outside the capital.
The Agyan Party members quickly build rapport with their targets and feed them something to make them unconscious. Then they rob the victims. The Malam Party members put some kind of ointment in the eyes of their targets, make them unconscious, and take away money and other valuables.
Hundreds of people have fallen prey to these gangs. Some have even died.
The activities of Bami Party and Salam Party were first reported on the Banani-Kakoli Road. A Bami Party member approaches his target on the road, suddenly hugs him, and then vomits on him. His accomplices then dupe the victim and rob him.
The Salam Party members say Assalamu Alaikum, an Arabic greeting, to their targets. Once the targets reply to the greeting, the fraudsters try to build rapport, play tricks, and rob them of money, mobile phones, and other valuables.
Besides, the Tana Party members, who are especially active in the evening and at night, target passengers on vehicles stuck in traffic jams on busy roads. They especially target those taking window seats. They snatch mobile phones, gold necklaces, and bags and then flee.
Mahfuzur Rahman Opu of Dhaka’s Tejturi Bazar fell prey to Agyan Party in Gulistan and lost Tk 10,000. He said he boarded a BRTC bus to travel to Farmgate and a middle-aged man sat next to him.
“The man started chatting with me. He offered me chips, and I had them. After the bus passed National Press Club, I fell asleep and do not remember anything. I woke up and discovered myself in a hospital. Then I found out that I had been robbed of Tk 10,000,” he said.
“I lost the money, but thank God I am alive,” he added.
Mashiur Rahman, a joint commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s detective branch, said the members of these gangs are very dangerous. “We arrested several hundred gang members in the last few years. But after getting out of bail, they get involved in the same crimes again.”
He said detectives regularly conduct drives to arrest these criminals.
The police official emphasised awareness to avoid being duped by such fraudsters. “We distribute leaflets to make people aware of these gangs and also disseminate information through various media. There is no alternative to self-awareness in such cases.”
Messenger/Fameema
