Ring leader of Ctg 'malam party' held

Three-wheeler, 11 cellphones, powdered chilli recovered

15 September 2009, 17:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Ctg

Police in separate drives arrested five muggers, locally known as 'malam party' men from different spots under Khulshi and Bayezid police stations in the city on Sunday night and early Monday. A CNG-run auto-rickshaw, 11 mobile phone sets and two pots of powdered chilli were recovered from their possession. A Khulshi police squad in a drive on Sunday night arrested ring leader Mominul with a CNG-run auto-rickshaw from Khulshi Colony. Acting on Mominul's confession, police rounded up Zahidul and Sohrab from Textile Gate, Moharaj from Sher Shah Colony and Faruk from Jalalabad areas. Police said, the arrestees are active members of an organised gang of snatchers that has been carrying out mugging by rubbing 'malam' (ointment) mixed with powdered chilli on the victims' eyes in the city. There are more than 50 criminals active in such mugging in the city, sources in police said. They operate in small groups using two CNG-run auto-rickshaws for every mugging. When a passenger hires one of the auto-rickshaws, they follow the target with the other auto-rickshaw and board on the passenger's one at a lonely place. They then snatch away his belongings by rubbing chilli-mixed ointment in his eyes and decamp.