– Crimes increase significantly in Cox’s Bazar
– Police warn of stern action against landlords
Arakan News Desk: A large number of Rohingyas are currently living in rented houses in Cox’s Bazar Sadar, Teknaf, and Ukhiya instead of designated camps. Among the Rohingyas, those who are wealthy and have relatives abroad have started living in these rented houses. Despite numerous detentions made by the authorities, a significant number of Rohingyas continue to reside in these houses.
The police say that many of these Rohingyas even have national identity cards (NIDs). Therefore, there is only so much the police can do in this regard.
Several Rohingya families are living in rented houses in Balukhali, Thaingkhali, Palongkhali, and Kutupalong areas of Ukhiya Sadar. Many of them have collected NID cards in exchange for money. Some even hold passports. They have now become residents of Cox’s Bazar with the help of brokers.
Police say these Rohingyas are carrying out various criminal activities in these rented houses, causing law and order to deteriorate. The armed criminal groups active in the camps do not want the Rohingyas to return to their country.
Therefore, whenever the issue of repatriation is brought up, killings and other terrorist activities increase in the camps. Over 150 incidents of murder took place in the Ukhiya camp between August 25, 2017 and December 2023. Simultaneously, the miscreants abducted hundreds of people. In this case, the miscreants target the leaders, or majhis, of various camps. That is why many of the Rohingya leaders have been living in these rented houses, sources have said.
According to Ukhiya Press Club President Syed Mohammad Anwar, the Rohingyas live in rented houses and control the drug trade. They are even involved in hundi business. Through such means, these Rohingyas are gaining local influence and getting involved in crimes.
However, the Rohingya leaders, who prefer anonymity, attribute the situation to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa). Law enforcers are active in the camps during the day, but armed groups control them at night. Therefore, the majhis are feeling insecure and live in the town areas.
Rashed Mohammad Ali, chairman of Hnila Union Parishad, is concerned about the matter. He said: “Incidents of abduction are increasing in Ukhiya and Teknaf due to the free movement of the Rohingyas. If the situation remains beyond control, it will deteriorate. The Rohingyas are escaping from the camps and kidnapping locals. They are only freed in exchange for ransom. I am demanding an increase in police manpower in Ukhiya and Teknaf.”
Amjad Hossain Khokon, chairman of Shamlapur Union Parishad, said: “At least 27km of area in my union is surrounded by hills. In this area, a gang is involved in the kidnappings.
“There is only one police station in our area with only seven to ten policemen, and they are unable to control crimes with such a small number. In this case, it is necessary to make the police more powerful.”
Meanwhile, Cox’s Bazar District Superintendent of Police Mohammad Mahfuzul Islam has warned of taking action against the owners of these houses. At the same time, he has set a deadline for the landlords to evict the Rohingyas from their houses. He made these remarks at a meeting on Wednesday.
He said: “The Rohingyas who have taken refuge in Bangladesh have become reckless. They are involved in various criminal activities, including the drug trade, theft, and robbery. In addition to this, they are also trying to have the law and order situation deteriorate in Bangladesh. The Rohingyas are responsible for the abductions in Teknaf. We’ll find the criminals’ roots and cut them off. No one can get away after committing crimes.”
Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC), has confirmed that he has received information about the issue. He told Dhaka Tribune that letting these Rohingyas live among the local people is illegal. This issue has already been discussed in meetings. Many of these Rohingyas are responsible for the worsening law and order in Cox’s Bazar. They have created chaos in the camps while living safely in their rented houses.”
Mizanur Rahman also said that the issue of passports, NIDs, and birth certificates being made available to the Rohingyas was also discussed at their regular meeting. “We are concerned about these. All the responsible parties are concerned about this issue,” he said.
Shantanu Majumdar, a teacher at the Department of Political Science at Dhaka University, thinks that the uncontrolled behaviour of Rohingyas is a big threat to the state. He said that it would not be easy to repatriate the Rohingyas at the moment. The continued escalation of the crisis on the other side of the border and the criminal activities of these Rohingays are a concern for Bangladesh, he added.
He said the Rohingyas have turned Cox’s Bazar into a city of crime.
Shantanu Majumder believes that it is important for the international community to put pressure on Myanmar to take back its nationals. He also thinks that there is no alternative to the safe repatriation of these Rohingyas in order to uphold peace and harmony between the two nations.
According to UN statistics, more than 725,000 Rohingyas entered Bangladesh in 2017. Altogether, there are more than 1.2 million Rohingyas living in the country at present.
