Many of the Rohingyas sheltered in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh have allegedly become involved in various types of criminal activities, including murder, drug and arms dealing, human trafficking, mugging and extortion.
According to reports received from different intelligence agencies and other bodies, around 150 Rohingyas were killed in shootouts with law enforcement agencies and in internal feuds.
Of them, around 70 Rohingyas were killed in gunfights with police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel while at least 80 others died in internal feuds.
Rohingyas also killed around a dozen Bangladeshis, including a leader of Bangladesh Jubo League, the youth front of the ruling Awami League, in Teknaf, in the last two years.
In the latest incidents, seven suspected Rohingya robbers were killed in a reported gunfight with RAB personnel and another one in a shootout with BGB members in Cox's Bazar's Teknaf on March 2.
On November 11 last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Rohingyas are becoming a threat to the security not only for Bangladesh but also for the whole region.
According to the agency reports, around 700 cases were filed with different police stations against Rohingyas for their involvement in various criminal acts.
According to sources, around 60,000 Rohingyas were arrested from different places of the country in the last 26 months after they had fled the camps while 515 were punished for their involvement in human trafficking.
The sources said members from law enforcement agencies are facing difficulties in dealing with Rohingyas and their criminal acts as there is only one police personnel posted for each 1,353 Rohingyas.
Around 11 lakh (1.1 million) Rohingyas have been sheltered in different camps in Cox’s Bazar after the Myanmar authorities had launched a crackdown on them in the Rakhine state in late 2016.
Sources said the government is now going to arrange multi-tiered security measures to deal with the Rohingyas sheltered in 11 camps.
The measures include formation of two special battalions of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) and erection of barbed wire-fence surrounding all the Rohingya camps.
Besides, a temporary court, three police stations and several police investigation centres will be set up, and observation towers and CCTV cameras installed in and around the camp areas, the sources added.
Sources in Police Headquarters said a proposal for the formation of two battalions of the APBn, each comprising 800 personnel, has already been submitted to the Ministry of Public Administration.
An official of the home ministry said preferring anonymity that the formation of the new battalions is ‘taking time’ as Rohingyas are not permanent residents of Bangladesh and a process for their repatriation is ongoing.
An intelligence report mentions that drug smuggling by Rohingyas has taken a serious turn while extortion, human trafficking, prostitution and robbery are other common crimes in the camps.
The report expresses concerns that Yaba smuggling continuing in the camps for a long time is giving rise to gangs who control and distribute illegal drugs to destinations across the country.
It points out that Rohingyas have been engaged in serious confrontations with locals over supremacy of drug trade and are sometimes killing those who opposed them.
The report also says the law enforcement agencies have so far briefly detained 55,186 Rohingyas, who fled the camps, from different areas in the district and sent them back to the camps.
Police also apprehended over 4,000 Rohingya refugees from different districts across the country for their alleged involvement in crimes.
The government has already suspended broadband internet services in camp areas and withdrawn all illegal SIM cards from Rohingyas camps in phases.