One of the major go-to destinations for recreation, Hatirjheel is gradually becoming a place of discomfort. Pedestrians are becoming victims of hijacking in at least eight locations of four overbridges. According to the victims, because of the absence of security guards assigned to Hatirjheel and a lapse in vigilance by the police hijackings occur there almost every day.
After talking with victims of hijacking, security guards of Hatrijheel and locals it is known that along with two bridges, there are four over bridges in Modhubag and Mohanagar project area. Beghunbari and Modhubag over bridges are located at Modhubag area. Aarong and Mohanagar side overbridges are at Mohanagar Project area. The stairs to these bridges are where the hijackings are concentrated.
Although there are daily incidents, these increase on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. More people come to visit Hatirjheel after a whole week of work. As dusk falls, hijacking syndicates begin to prowl.
According to locals, security guards, police and the victims, most of the hijackers are stray younger from Tejgaon, Kunipara and Modhubag area and they are 15-20 years old. There are estimated 5-7 groups with 5-8 members each. They are from surrounding areas.
The victims allege that the hijackers rob people of their money, phones and jewelry. Though there are restrictions to walk on the overbridges, many people go there to spend time in solitude. And the criminals take advantage of this opportunity.
Rezaul Kabir, one of the more recent victims, said, ‘ They hijack by creating traps. They usually target couples who sit by themselves on the overbridge. 2/3 members of the gang first walk past them and intentionally stumble on the target’s leg to start a row. After that, other members of the gang come and then they start the main event.’
He also said, ‘They interrogate the target like detectives about what business they have on the overbridge. They threaten to hand people over to the police and make obscene remarks to embarrass people. In the midst of this commotion, they snatch the wallets and phones off the victims and order them to get off the bridge. As the confused victims shuffle off the bridge, the hijackers take off in the other direction.’
Jainal, an RMG worker, echoed a similar experience. He said, ‘The hijacker’s groups are armed with knives. They intimidate people with the arms. They are forced to hand over everything.'
A security company named “Red Force” is assigned to the security detail at Hatirjheel. The guards work in two 12-hour shifts. The day shift has around 30-35 guards followed by 40-45 guards in the night shift.
About 10 of the guards said they hear of hijackings from time to time. They said: “We never let anything like this happen in front of us. But we cannot patrol every inch of Hatirjheel simultaneously, so some incidents like hijacking happen from time to time.”
Several guards of the ‘Red Force’ confided that the guards are not posted on the overbridges. Rahmat Ullah, a guard, said, ‘In both shifts, guards are posted only on the ground. People are restricted from using the overbridges, so no guards are posted above.’
When asked how people are still getting on the bridge despite the restriction, none of the guards had an answer. One responded with: “We ask everyone to not use them. But nobody listens to us.’ To avoid complications the guards do not argue with the people. They informed, ‘Whoever uses the overbridge, does it at their own peril.’
A sub-inspector of Tejgaon Industrial Area police station said on the condition of not mentioning his name, ‘We patrol the area regularly.The bridges are off-limits to pedestrians. Even parking cars are illegal. But nobody pays attention to the restrictions. People frequent these spots, flouting the law. And as there are no patrols on the overbridges these will not be secure. Any accident may happen there. If people steered clear of restricted zones, a lot of untoward incidents could have been avoided.”
Ramna police station Officer-in-Charge Moshiur Rahman told the Bangla Tribune that there are a few complaints of mugging in Hatirjheel, but nothing significant. Our regular patrols are going on in that area.’
