Despite law enforcers' strict routine vigilance, the incident of carjacking in the capital is on the rise as the captured carjackers easily come out of jail on bail from the lower judiciary.
"Most accused in carjacking cases return to the same offence after coming out from jail on bail," a senior DMP official told UNB.
In many cases, the accused go unpunished as the complainant loses interest in pursuing his or her pending case until the delivery of judgment following the recovery of his or her stolen vehicle, said the official.
According to sources, at least 80 motorised vehicles like private cars, motorcycles and CNG-run auto-rickshaws are stolen from different parking lots every month and police can recover only half of those.
Sources at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said a total of 898 different types of motorised vehicles were stolen from the capital last year (2013).
During the period, police, especially members of the Detective Branch (DB) of DMP, recovered 468 vehicles and arrested 899 people, including accused mentioned in FIRs (First Information Reports).
Contacted, a senior police official said the incidents of injury during carjacking are declining though car lifting from parking lots is on the rise. In most cases, the car lifters themselves drive away with the vehicles. Talking to UNB, a ringleader of car lifters, requesting anonymity, said his accomplices usually wait for the time when the targeted driver comes out from the vehicle after its parking.
Parking areas of Uttara, Gulshan, Banani, Mirpur, Dhanmondi, High Court, Judge Court in Old Dhaka, Shishu Park, Pangu Hospital and Birdem Hospital are safe havens for the carjackers, he added.
According to him, most of the stolen vehicles are taken out of Dhaka city quickly and those are usually dumped in Jessore, Brahmanbaria, Chittagong and Sylhet districts.
After preparing false documents, the stolen vehicles are used for carrying smuggled goods and sometimes are put on hire, he added.
Asked about quick bail arrangement from court, another car-lifter said they are always in touch with a section of lawyers at lower court who secure bail for them.
"When any member of carjackers' syndicate is held by law enforcers for car lifting, the lawyers started their exercise to manage bail and they charge us high fees," he said.
Meanwhile, a carjacker suspect, Ekramul Babu, 40, was killed and his sidekick, Shahidul Islam, 30, injured in a 'gunfight' with police at Chaltetala, Satkhira district early hours on February 12.
According to police, a group of muggers snatched a private car of Lt Col Omar Faruqe's wife from Mohammadpur area in the capital on February 11.
Tipped off that the car was taken to Satkhira, a police patrol team launched a drive at Chaltetala intersection around 5:30am and tracked down the stolen private car following a 'gunfight'.
