DMP commissioner vows to wipe out 'gang culture' in Dhaka

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Asaduzzaman Mia has promised to 'wipe out' all types of gangs in a bid to curb crimes in the capital.

"Whether it's a teen gang or otherwise, the word 'gang' won't exist in Dhaka. They'll all be wiped out," said the outgoing DMP chief.

He made the remarks while inspecting the security measures ahead of Ashura, the holiest fetival in the Shia Muslim calendar, in Hosne Dalan's Imambari on Saturday.

A growing trend of youngsters and teenagers forming groups and committing variouscrimes in the capital has emerged in what is being described as a 'gang culture'. In many cases, these gangs have spawned from simple Facebook groups.

The members meet and communicate with each other through various smartphone apps. They mostly dabble in criminal activities such as the use of drugs and hijacking while some gangs have even been involved in murders.

On the possibility of such gangs disrupting the Tazia procession, the commissioner said, "DMP has adopted a zero tolerance policy against gang culture. There won't be any gangs in Dhaka. We won't allow anyone else to sabotage the procession either."

A Facebook group called 'Bond 007' came to the fore after its members were involved in the daylight murder of Barguna youth Refat Shorif in June.

Police have also arrested a number of juvenile miscreants in various neighbourhoods of Dhaka since then.

The latest instance of the crackdown on gangs involved the arrest of 110 youths in Hatirjheel for allegedly harassing people by making obscene remarks and gestures at pedestrians on Friday.