Shariful Islam

Every month a mindboggling Tk 2.47 crore used to be gathered inside Chattogram Central Jail and the lion's share came from drug dealing, its arrested jailer Sohel Rana Biswas told investigators while in remand.

Two militant suspects, including a woman, were killed in a police operation at a hideout in Narsingdi's Shaikerchar area yesterday, about two weeks after they came to the district with several other suspects to attend the wedding of one of their female accomplices.

They must be turning in their graves. Jahangir Hossain died one and a half years ago, Mansur Ali a year ago and Zilllur Rahman six months back. Now all these months and years later, police have charged them with vandalising vehicles and planning subversive activities.

Police are pressing for promotion of 495 officials of the ranks of superintendent of police to additional inspector general ahead of the national elections.

Two bomb-disposal robots would soon be used in Bangladesh for busting explosive-stashed militants' dens where the risk of death lurks in every corner.

One is an 85-year-old paralysed man who cannot move out of his bed by himself. Another left the country for Malaysia in February and is still there. Two others are hajj pilgrims -- one of them returned home just yesterday while the other is still to come back.

Implicated in three “false cases” and tired of police harassment, Ahad Khalifa was desperately looking for a break.

Luthful Haque was treated at Labaid hospital in the capital's Dhanmondi for seven days from August 4 for hypertension, diabetes and kidney complications.

A photo album is all Tasin has to see his father.

With over 300 splinters inside his body, all Suranjit Sengupta wanted until his death was justice for the August 21 grenade attack. "I want justice," said the Awami League leader in tears while testifying before a court in 2015, eleven years after the attack on an AL rally that left 24 people killed and over 300 wounded.

Banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh, which remained below law enforcers' radar for many years, has lately been gathering strength through collecting funds mainly by robbery, counterterrorism officers said.

The newly formed Anti-Terrorism Unit is expected to start operation within months with a countrywide mandate, using most of the

Outgoing Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque has said police need to improve the quality of service in line with the expectations of the people.

The controversial sonic device procured recently by the police to disperse protesters has the potential to damage nerve system of ears for good, according to doctors and records.

The fight against militancy remains challenging as ever as dozens of militants are getting freed every year from prisons that have no de-radicalisation programmes.

The Victory Day morning of last year started like any other for the 85-year-old widow of a former Ispahani company director. She woke up, did her usual chores and had breakfast.

Top police officials have demanded that the police headquarters centrally recruit constables to prevent entry of inefficient people to the force through corruption and political influence.

Social media users may have to be more cautious about making “unlawful” public remarks and sharing contentious items as it would soon be only a matter of hours for police to trace their origins with the help of special software.

Taking lessons from the past, law enforcement agencies are redoing their strategies to keep law and order under control in this election year. As part of their plan, police and different intelligence agencies will prepare a fresh list of wanted criminals and probable political troublemakers ahead of the election and launch drives to arrest them. Special drives will also be made to recover illegal firearms, said a number of top police officials.

In the first nine months of this year, more than 60 percent of the accused got acquitted in drug-related cases, and narcotics control officials blame the poor conviction rate mainly on the faulty charge sheets and a lack of witnesses. The scenarios were almost similar in the previous two years.