A large number of youth gangs have become active in the capital ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr.
Members of the youth groups are engaging in robberies and snatching people doing Eid shopping in various markets and roads.
Gang culture and power struggles among rising boys have become a hotly debated topic. Gang members roam around in groups playing loud music, riding motorcycles at reckless speeds, harassing passers-by and attacking common people over trivial matters.
They often engage in conflict with other groups in the same area to maintain their dominance. In 2017, the youth gang culture came into discussion with the killing of Adnan, a schoolboy in Uttara. RAB arrested some juvenile gang members including the mastermind of this sensational murder.
Among the juvenile and youth gangs terrorizing the capital are auto-rickshaw drivers, vegetable vendors, construction workers, as well as truant children of rich families.
Under the guise of various professions, their occupation is committing crimes in different areas of the capital. These youth gang members are involved in various crimes ranging from kidnapping to dominating under the umbrella of the local authority.
Commander of RAB-3 Lt. Col.
Arif Mohiuddin Ahmed said that based on intelligence information, 7 members of the "Fayez-Arafat" group have been arrested for various criminal activities including robbery, extortion, rape, kidnapping in different areas of the capital.
Besides, 20 active members including 4 members of Siam Group, 4 members of Anik Group and 5 members of Kunipara Squad Group were arrested in raids in the areas under the jurisdiction of Kadmatoli and Hatirjheel police stations.
On Sunday from 7 pm to 10 pm, raids were conducted in various areas under Kadmatoli and Hatirjheel police stations of the capital and they were arrested. 1 Chapati, 1 Knife, 1 Shovel, 3 Daggers, 1 Hasua, 4 Knives, 2 Razors, 2 Hacksaw blades, 25 little Packets of marijuana, 6 Mobiles and 4 thousand 540 of extortion money were recovered from them.
Meanwhile, the Faiz-Arafat youth gang group has around 15-20 active members in Shyampur and Kadmatoli areas of the capital. The Fayez-Arafat group had long been led by criminal Mo Yasin Arafat and his cousin Fayez.
The arrested members of Fayez-Arafat group are involved in various criminal activities including extortion, robbery, drug trade, evasion, beating, robbery in Shyampur and Kadmatli areas of the capital.
In Hatirjheel area Siam and Anik groups have been operating under the leadership of criminals Saiful Islam Siam and Hasan Ahmed Anik for a long time. The criminals of this gang suddenly surround pedestrians, threaten them with sharp weapons, steal money and valuables and flee quickly.
Focusing on extortion and dominance in Hatirjheel and surrounding areas they used to conduct various types of criminal activities including fights with sharp weapons. Arrested from Hatirjheel area of the capital, the Kunipara squad group is being led by Hota Roniuzzaman in Hatirjheel and its surrounding areas. Roniuzzaman is involved in illegal online bitcoin trading. Criminals under the leadership of Roniuzzaman used to carry out various criminal activities as mercenary criminals in different areas.
Notably, 349 members of various groups of juvenile and youth gangs were arrested in 2023 in the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) operation. Since 2017, RAB has arrested 1 thousand 126 members of juvenile gangs for various crimes, but juvenile gangs have become active again in various areas ahead of Eid.
Additional DIG Mohammad Farid Uddin told reporters at Keraniganj headquarters on Wednesday (February 21), that based on secret information Rabbi of Topbuzz Group, Yusuf of Gangster Paradise Group, Saiful of Boys High Voltage Group, Maidul of De-Daur Group, Shahadat of Hatchka Tan Group, Booster Group and 50 youth gang group members were arrested.
During interrogation, the arrested gangs admitted that they had been conducting various types of criminal activities including theft, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, rape, attempted murder and dominating the neighborhoods including Jatrabari, Keraniganj, and Dhaka-Mawa highway in the capital.
According to RAB's legal and media wing, gangs and youth gangs have existed for a long time in western countries. Bangladeshi teenagers adopted this foreign gang culture decades ago. Although there was no criminal image in the beginning, gradually the youth gang members became criminals. They are involved in gang-gang conflicts, infighting, extortion, establishing territorial control and drug syndicates.
It is to be noted that on the night of January 28, 2023, Hridoy alias Hiter Hridoy, the head of the criminal group 'BDSK' gang of capital Adabar was arrested. Apart from this, RAB arrested eight people from different areas of the capital and Faridpur along with domestic and foreign weapons.
On the night of January 29, RAB arrested 16 members of youth gang leader Picchi Jalal from South Keraniganj, Shyampur and Kadmatli areas of the capital.
On February 6 the same year, RAB arrested 20 members of Kishore gang group with indigenous weapons from Adabar, Mohammadpur and Hazaribagh areas of the capital.
On March 22, raids were conducted in Mohammadpur, Hazaribagh, Sherbangla Nagar and Tejgaon areas of the capital and 43 members of the juvenile gang were arrested.
On May 26, that year Potato Rubel and his accomplice Rocky, the main accused and identified juvenile gang leader in the sensational murder case of Siam (14) in Darus Salam area of the capital, were arrested from Savar, Barisal, and Bakerganj in Dhaka.
On April 28, RAB arrested youth gang members Anik (20) and Zobair (19), the absconding accused of the sensational Likhon murder in capital Ashulia, from Nabartek area of Ashulia.
On June 16, RAB arrested Nuru gang chief Mahidul Islam Sujan and his three associates while preparing for criminal activities in Rampur area of Feni.
On July 16, RAB arrested three active members of Kishore gang Pichy Jai group from Banani in the capital with indigenous weapons.
On the night of September 8, RAB arrested seven people including Rafat, Tushar and Ahmed, one of the members of Anwar's group, which went viral after cutting off the wrist of a young man.
Recently, law enforcement forces arrested four members of the youth group from Mohammadpur Rayerbazar area of the capital. His family alleged that other members of the gang hacked and injured a woman in the house. There are allegations of racketeering and criminal activities against them. Many members of the Kishore group are still carrying out criminal activities in different areas of the capital.