Law enforcement agencies arrested 34 more people in joint drives at places in the capital鈥檚 Mohammadpur area in the past 24 hours till Monday morning.
The police, the Army and the Rapid Action Battalion conducted the drives and arrested the people for their alleged involvement in criminal activities like mugging, robbery and extortion, Dhaka Metropolitan Police鈥檚 Tejgaon Division deputy commissioner Mohammad Ruhul Kabir Khan said.
鈥榃e are conducting block raids and special drives and have set up check posts to give relief to the inhabitants of Mohammadpur and bring the law and order situation under control,鈥� he said at a press briefing at Mohammadpur police station Monday afternoon.
Of the 34 arrestees, two were arrested with machetes at Sher-Shah Suri road and nine were arrested at Martyred Intellectuals Memorial at Mohammadpur鈥檚 Rayer Bazar area for their suspected involvement in robbery, the police officer said.
Responding to a question over a number of the arrestees鈥� claims to be innocent, he said, 鈥業f we find anyone innocent after scrutiny, we release them after taking undertakings from their guardians. We detained two students in the ongoing drives and handed them over to their parents after scrutiny,鈥� he said.
In the past, Awami League leaders allegedly provided support to area-based criminals and teenage gangs. After the fall of the AL regime on August 5, Bangladesh Nationalist Party leaders are allegedly supporting them, locals and police officials said.
Asked about the political leaders鈥� support for area-based criminals and teenage gangs, Ruhul said that they would take action neutrally. 鈥榃e will take action considering their involvement in crimes,鈥� he added.
The DC said that four incidents of murder happened in the camp for the Urdu-speaking people in the ongoing month and added that dominance over drug peddling was the main reason for the conflicts in the camp.
鈥榃e have collected information from our intelligence agencies and our drives for arresting criminals are going on,鈥� said the DC.
On Saturday evening, a group of students and leaders of different social organisations went to Mohammadpur police station, blamed police inaction for deteriorated law and order situation and demanded to address the situation within 72 hours.
Law enforcement agencies on Sunday arrested 45 people in joint drives and they were produced before a Dhaka metropolitan magistrate court and the court sent 30 of them to jail.
The remaining arrestees were released after realising fines and taking undertakings from them.