Editorial
Abductors ruling the roost in Chittagong
Political will needed to neutralise them
The kidnapped Chittagong business magnate going untraceable even after eight days of manhunt has brought to the fore the chilling sense of insecurity permeating the whole trading community in the port city. All-out efforts by the police force and the continuous flow of assurances to his family by several ministers have so far failed to bring Jamaluddin Ahmed Chowdhury back to his anxious family. Even the police sources have turned out to be of little help. The obvious question would be -- why? Who are these kidnappers? How could they dodge the police time and again, even though their hideouts have apparently been identified and raided? All these questions could lead to one simple answer, or at least that's what we can deduct from a report published in Bangla daily Prothom Alo on Saturday. According to the report, there are at least nine active groups of kidnappers who have close links with political parties. On the other hand, politicians accuse policemen of being in nexus with criminals. In the middle of all these, the abductors have been able to get away with their crime. In fact, the main source of income for the gangsters has been kidnapping for ransom. And it wasn't only businessmen, members of their families had also been victims in the past. Because of being the economic hub of the country, Chittagong has always been the most favourite place for the kidnappers. In addition to that -- thanks to lack of security and protection -- the business community has been living in fear for many years. It is said that several abduction cases might have got solved in the past without even involving the police. One thing is for sure, if political parties continued to give the gangsters shelter, then no one would be able to catch them or put a stop to their criminal activities. Now is the time, therefore, for the political parties to withdraw the oxygen of support to criminals. The abductors of Mr Chowdhury will have to be caught and Mr Chowdhury himself rescued safe and sound. Otherwise, not just the businessmen, it won't be long before other people fell victim to the ransom-seeking rackets.
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