Juvenile gangs have become desperate in the city again while law enforcers are getting tough with them, and simultaneously providing them moral counseling, to tackle the emerging situation.
According to law enforcers, the criminal activities of juvenile gang members have increased at an alarming rate across the country, including the capital Dhaka. In the capital city nearly 500 members of 32 gangs are involved in criminal activities.
A recent intelligence report by the Detective Branch highlighted the information and recommended 12 points aimed at curbing the juvenile gangs. These include religious and moral education, awareness of the dangers of juvenile delinquency at Friday prayers, and regular counseling among juveniles.
The report has already been sent to the concerned departments of the government including the Ministry of Home Affairs.
According to the report, there have been 13 shocking murders by teenage gang members in the last 4 months. This has created unrest in society and panic among the locals.
The report also noted that it is not tough to trim down activities of gang members even after arrest. The Coronavirus situation has led to school-college closures as well as working teenagers losing their workplaces.
Criminologists emphasize that youths involved in crime should be counseled. In addition to education, local societies need to create an environment in which they can grow up with a better mindset in the cultural sphere.
They also referred to the basic needs of disenfranchised teenagers that need to be met. Floating orphan teenagers need to be rehabilitated through orphan homes.
Crime analyst Mokhlesur Rahman talking to Bangladesh Post said, “If you look at the last 10-11 years, most of the high profile murders in the capital have been committed by juvenile offenders. For instance, teenagers being involved in various criminal activities including carrying weapons.”
The prime reason behind it is members of the professional criminal ring lure teenagers into their group in exchange for money, he added.
He suggested that they must be given social security and the right to life. Adolescents will never be involved in crime if they have the opportunity to work according to their qualifications with proper education.
In this regard, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) -1 Commander Lieutenant Colonel Shafi Ullah Bulbul on Tuesday said, “College student Sohag (20) was killed by a gang of teenagers in the capital’s Uttara after he stopped a rickshaw puller from being beaten.
Cutter Russell and Hridoy, the two main accused in the murder and involved in the murder, were arrested from Mollartek. Two foreign pistols, two magazines and eight rounds of ammunition were recovered from the arrested.”
RAB is relentlessly working to stop crimes being committed by juvenile gangs. Legal action should be taken against those involved, we are conducting regular raids by identifying hotspots to eradicate juvenile gangs through the concerned police stations, he added.
Department of Criminology faculty at the University of Dhaka (DU) A B M Najmus Sakib told Bangladesh Post, “The media should take steps to telecast various programmes for the mental development of children and adolescents as well as provide good education to the disadvantaged and poor children and adolescents. We need to build social resistance against gang culture.”
“Juvenile gang members sometimes carry out criminal activities under the umbrella of political leaders, and sometimes under the umbrella of godfathers. Due to them, law and order in society is being hampered. Common people are suffering from insecurity due to snatching and abduction in the streets.”
Community policing, beat policing activities should be intensified and gang identification should be done by forming committees consisting of guardians in the neighborhoods, local people’s representatives and media persons should conduct public awareness activities, he added.
