Shawdesh desk:

Muggers are using a new tactic to rob their targeted people of cash and valuables as several snatching incidents have taken place with the new method in Dhaka and Chattogram cities in recent times.

The tactic is ‘vomit’. Criminals in small groups mainly target the people who withdraw money from banks. The gangsters vomit on the bodies of their targets, police said.

Shortly after vomiting, a gangster says ‘sorry’ to the victim and brings tissues from his pocket and tries to clean the filth. At that time, other gangsters surround their target and snatch cash and valuables.

Besides this, the criminals are locked in arguments with their targets after vomiting on their bodies. At one point, they snatch away cash and valuables of the victims, police said.

Kamrul Islam, an employee of a private company, was returning by a bus to his workplace at Pallabi in the capital after withdrawing Tk 1 lakh from a private bank in August last year, said  another officer of the company seeking not to be named.

“Suddenly, a man threw up vomit on Kamrul’s body, which led an argument between them. During the brawl, some men came to him,” the officer said.

Some of them supported the man and were locked in an argument with Kamrul. During the period, they took away money from his pants pocket and got down on the way, the officer said.

After getting off the bus, Kamrul found his money was taken away. He informed the company authorities of the matter and one of the company officers lodged a General Diary (GD) with Pallabi Police Station, the officer said.

But, police could not trace the criminals, said the company officer, rather they were suspecting Kamrul.

Abul Kashem Bhuiyan, officer-in-charge of Double Mooring Police Station in Chattogram, told the Daily Sun over phone that they uncovered two mugging gangs after arresting seven of their members about 14 days ago.

They targeted the people who withdrew money from banks.  After that, one of them vomited on their targets on the way and expressed ‘sorry.’

The criminals surrounded the victims in the name of cleaning the waste, and forcibly took away their money. They applied the novel tactic aiming to throw dusts in eyes of commuters and law enforcing agencies.

To a question how they could vomit, he said that one of them chew banana and cake, and heaved those from mouth on the targeted persons.

Arif Hossain, assistant commissioner (Double Mooring Zone) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP), said, “Such criminals commit the crimes applying the novel method at banking hours and five days in a week.”

Police would be able to arrest the members of two other snatching gangs soon, he said.

Sources in Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said the DMP commissioner was concerned over overall mugging incidents in the capital. In the last crime conference held at DMP headquarters recently, he directed his deputies to become more watchful to thwart the crimes.

According to the DMP, 145 mugging cases were filed with different police stations under the DMP in 2021, 176 in 2020, 155 in 2019, 216 in 2018 and 217 in 2017.