Dhaka’s 198 Murders in 10 Months ‘Within Tolerable Range’ Despite Recent Political Shootings: DMP

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has recorded at least 198 murders in the capital over the last 10 months, a figure the force describes as being “within a tolerable range” when weighed against the city’s massive population and complex socio-economic realities.

Talebur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner of DMP’s Media and Public Relations Division, shared the data, noting that the average monthly figure hovers around 20 murder-related crimes.

The police official defended the statistics by detailing the broad nature of the incidents recorded as murder cases, which include:

• Family disputes.
• Previous enmity or rivalry.
• “Dominance establishing” crimes.
• The recovery of unidentified newborns.

“Considering Dhaka’s population and socio-economic dynamics, the number of incidents is at a manageable level. We are successfully uncovering the motives behind most cases and arresting the perpetrators,” DC Rahman stated, adding that detectives have solved most recent cases and brought the involved parties under the purview of the law.

However, the DMP’s assessment of a “manageable level” comes amid a recent, alarming spike in targeted gun violence. Over the last eight days alone, at least three individuals were shot dead with illegal firearms in Dhaka.

The most recent victim was Golam Kibria, member secretary of the Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal’s Pallabi thana unit, who was gunned down in the city’s Pallabi area last night. The spree also included the fatal shooting of a top-listed criminal and another unidentified victim.

Police are conducting a detailed investigation into the political killing, with officials confirming that the process of identifying the assailants and the specific illegal firearms used is now underway.