Police to probe mugging cases even without complaints filed, says DMP chief Faruq

In a bid to tackle growing incidents of mugging, Dhaka Metropolitan Police chief Golam Khandker Faruq has announced that law enforcement will initiate probes when such a crime is reported, even if no formal complaint is lodged, reports bdnews24.com. 

Law enforcers have been instructed not to leave any incident related to mugging uninvestigated, Faruq said on Thursday.

A growing sense of unease gripped residents of Dhaka during the Eid-ul-Azha holidays due to a spate of muggings. Concerns came to a head when a police constable was hacked to death by muggers upon returning to the city after the Eid break. Meanwhile, on the night of Eid, Rakibul Hasan Rana, an assistant producer at Independent TV, was stabbed and robbed in Hatirjheel.

Numerous muggings occur on a daily basis in the capital, but a significant majority of these incidents go unreported.

On Tuesday, Commissioner Faruq visited Rana at the National Orthopedic Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre. He assured the public that the police would continue their relentless campaign to rid Dhaka of muggers and make the city safer for all residents.

Faruq outlined the police's 'pro-active' approach to eliminating muggings in the city as most incidents are not reported.

"Perhaps, someone has had their mobile phone taken, or someone has been robbed of Tk 500. Due to the hassles of filing a case, they do not want to come forward.

"Now, we have given strict orders not to let a single incident go untraced. Even when there is no complainant, the police will record a case as the plaintiff."

The DMP chief added that in the space of three days since Monday, 80 percent of the incidents related to mugging in Dhaka had been registered as cases by the police. At least 15 muggers have also been arrested.