Several organised crime syndicates are involved in hijacking goods-laden vans and trucks at different points on Dhaka-Chittagong highway.
The robbery rings target vehicles transporting import and export items, including readymade garments, paper, cotton and various basic commodities, between Chittagong port and the rest of the country, according to transport workers.
Disguised as workers the criminals hijack the vehicles. They also bribe some workers to make the thefts easier and safer.
In some cases the gangs take away cartons from consignments of goods, which damages goodwill of the exporters to the international buyers. They even do not hesitate to kill the transport workers if the latter refused to assist in the crime.
Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) recovered huge amount of looted goods in the last five months and arrested some hijackers. Later they managed to secure bails and returned to crime.
They have also identified five to six organised gangs and 25 culprits so far.
Md Masud alias Picchi Masud, Jewel Jamadder, Sayeed, Liton Das, Jahangir, Md Shahidul Islam, Md Masum, Md Sohag, Mamunur Rashid and Koli Madam are the kingpins of robbery gangs, said Sub-inspector of Double Mooring Police Station, Kawser who is probing several hijacking incidents.
Police arrested Picchi Masud, Jewel Jamadder and some other bigwigs several times, but they managed to secure bail, he added.
The accused are securing bail as police fail to frame strong charges against them, observed Ibrahim Hossain Babul, former general secretary of Chittagong Bar Association.
He suggested framing charges under the Special Powers Act, 1974 to ensure the criminals are not freed until the trial is complete.
A Chittagong Port-bound van carrying 17000 pieces of T-shirts in 555 cartons was hijacked from the city's Pahartali area on May 20, SM Tanvir Arafat, assistant commissioner of Double Mooring zone police, told The Daily Star.
The van was found abandoned at Bayezid area on that afternoon while Pahartali police picked up the driver and five others at night. They recovered the stolen goods worth Tk 50 lakh from a house at Chandgaon residential area.
In another incident on April 15 a van left Incom Trade International Depot at Patenga with 51 bales of cotton for Sadia Spining Mills at Bhaluka of Mymensingh.
As the consignment did not reach its destination on time, the proprietor of the van supplier firm filed a case with Potenga PS on April 19 and police consequently managed to arrest six persons including helper Jahangir.
Four hijackers killed the van driver Sujan Barua on April 15 night as he refused to help the gang, mentioned police quoting the arrestees.
President of Chittagong Transport Owners' Association Nurul Bahar admitted a section of transport workers is involved in hijacking the vehicles.
Expressing concern over increasing crimes he noted the transport suppliers are incurring loss as they have to bear the cost of stolen goods in many cases.
First Vice President of Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association Nasir Uddin demanded exemplary punishment of the arrested robbers.
He also emphasised stepping up the police patrol on the highway to curb such incidents.
CMP Commissioner Abul Kashem claimed police successfully detected almost all the incidents of hijacking and recovered the goods.
He requested the transport suppliers to preserve the personal data of the recruited drivers and helpers.
News Source: The Daily Star (May 27, 2011)
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