The incidents of robbery and extortion have marked a sharp rise on the highways recently creating a feeling of insecurity among the passengers and transport staffs. Despite high alertness, the passengers of bus and coaches travelling on the highways are being robbed off frequently.
In the guise of passengers or law enforcers, a group of armed men usually stop the passenger buses and goods-laden trucks on highways and rob passengers of cash, jewellery and other valuables. In the latest incident, the robbers gang-violated a female passenger and looted valuables of the other passengers after taking control of a bus in Tangail early Wednesday.
Additional forces from Rapid
Action Battalion and police
will have to be deployed on highways
When the bus carrying passengers was going to Narayanganj from Kushtia, a gang of twelve robbers with backpacks boarded it from Hatikumrul intersection in Sirajganj at midnight. Later, they held hostage the passengers, violating a female and looted everything from helpless people who were on the bus.
A good number of organised armed goons and extortionists are now active on the highways looting away cash money, cell phone sets and other belongings from the passengers at dead of the night due to the absence of highway police. Equipped with sophisticated fire arms, bamboos and iron rods different goons are still taking extortion from goods-laden trucks and passenger busses and coaches on different roads and highways across the country.
Many of them are active at the entry points of the capital especially at nights. The points are notably Demra, Jatrabari and Babu Bazar. On the other hand, robbery at many points of busy Dhaka-Chattogram highway also continues unabated at night.
Despite the preventive measures against extortion and robbery, passengers and transport staffs are still unsafe. Therefore, additional forces from Rapid Action Battalion and police will have to be deployed on highways alongside highway cops while patrolling will have to be intensified and check-posts will have to be installed. Besides, especially lawmakers, other elected representatives and local administration must play key role to free the highways and roads from armed goons and extortionists to ensure people’s safety.