Dope gangs active in Sylhet ahead of Eid

Notorious dope gangs have become active in guise of hawkers at different places, including cattle markets, in the Sylhet to snatch money and other valuables from people.
As Eid-ul-Azha is approaching very near, incidence of robbing people by making them unconscious has increased in the city.
Sources said such incidents take place in the crowded places, including bus and railway station, cattle markets, shopping malls and banks, dodging eyes of law enforcers.
According to sources, members of dope gangs (agyan party) have now been active ahead of the Eid festival. They use sedatives and ointment to make their targeted person temporarily blind and unconscious and to snatch money or valuables.
Falling victim to the gangsters, many innocent people, mostly businessmen and home-goers, are losing their money, gold ornaments, mobile phone sets and other valuables.
Sources said over 250 members, including some females, of 20 organised dope gangs have become active in the Sylhet and on its outskirts in guise of hawkers.
The gang members in guise of hawkers or passengers target bus passengers and others, offering them food mixed with sedatives. The miscreants rob them when they fall unconscious.
But the Crime and Traffic Control departments of Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP) said they have taken sufficient security measures to check unwanted incidents and ensure smooth movement of commuters in and around the city. At least 10 incidents of robbery, 15 mugging and a number of snatching also took place in the area during the time, which have made the city-dwellers somewhat panic-stricken.
Sources concerned said the members of Police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained at least 15 robbers and drug traffickers and seized over 200 bottles of Indian wine and contraband phensidyl syrup from the city and bordering areas only a week before the Eid. In most cases, mugging incidents took place in crowded areas like shopping centres and branches of different commercial banks and lonely streets. The snatchers committed such kinds of incidents virtually throwing dust into the eyes of law-enforcers.
Police said the armed muggers swooped on innocent people and snatched belongings from them taking them hostage at gunpoint. Meanwhile, the doping gangs are looting innocent people’s money and belongings mixing sedatives with ointment while applying them on their foodstuffs in a bid to leave them unconscious.
SMP Commissioner Kamrul Ahsan said police have taken sufficient security measures ahead of Eid to ward off unexpected incidents like extortion and snatching. Temporary police camps were also set up at important points in the city while over 2,700 additional police forces have been deployed to monitor the overall law and order situation, he added.