Move to Arrest Rising Crimes

Cox's Bazar police collecting info about residents, tenants

12 July 2009, 17:00 PM

A Correspondent, Cox's Bazar

Cox's Bazar district police, in a bid to reduce crimes, have asked the 6,000 residents of the town (including house owners and tenants) to submit detailed information about themselves and their photographs to police. As a result, the owners of residential houses are now bound to keep watch on the activities of the tenants. Sources said, more than 100 residential houses in Cox's Bazar municipality and adjoining areas are used for anti-social activities including prostitution. The houses are also used for drugs trade. Many of them are dens of criminals and extortionists. A police officer seeking anonymity said, sometimes criminals from other areas of the country rent houses and hide there for a long time. Police superintendent (SP) Mohammad Sakhawat Hossain said, police recently adopted this 'innovative' way mainly to arrest the militants, criminals and drug traders. He said, the whole town has been divided into seven zones and necessary information including photos of the house owners and tenants are being collected. He said the law enforcers have already collected information about more than 1,000 people. He hoped that the process would be completed by July 30. Similar information would be collected in eight upazilas of the district. It will give police a clear idea about the presence of outsiders in Cox's Bazar, he said. Sakhawat said, police have information that many illegal Rohingyas and militants stay in residential houses in the town. But the owners of most of the residential houses do not have any idea about their tenants. They even do not bother about any written agreement with them. "From now on, the house owners would have to keep track of who is coming to the tenants' house and when. Police would make surprise raids on the houses and if anything is found wrong the house owner also would have to be accountable for it". The owners of the residential houses have already been warned in this regard, the SP said.