Dohazari (South Chittagong) Correspondent

The law and order situation in Chandanaish upazila of Chittagong has deteriorated severely recently. Six robberies have been committed in Chandanaish in a month. Currently, the people of two municipalities and eight unions of the upazila are living in fear at night. 

On the night of September 12, a group of armed robbers attacked Hashimpur Bijoyaram Vihara and took Buddhist monk Gyan Rakshit hostage in a room at gunpoint. They took the key from him and looted Tk 30,000 in cash, broke the donation box, and looted goods worth Tk 80,000 including a sound box worth Tk 20,000, according to the monk. Upon receiving the news, local member Shafiul Alam arrived at the scene and told the journalists present that the robbers, Fakhrul, Nazim Uddin, Md. Yusuf, Md. Abshar, Abdul Nabi, Oli Ahmed Buchu were held hostage at gunpoint and tied to the wall of the monastery and carried out the robbery. Oli Ahmed Buchu said that the robbers brought a hitchhiker on their way to the guava garden early in the morning. They found them in the middle of the road and held them hostage at gunpoint and tied them to the wall. After the robbery at the Buddhist temple, they returned the mobile phones taken from them and went to the garden without any trickery. Eyewitnesses said that the robbers spoke the regional language of Chittagong. They were 25 to 30 years old, each of them was wearing black half pants, black shirts, and masks on their faces. In this regard, the president of the monastery management committee, Sanchayan Barua, said that if a robbery is carried out in a religious institution like this, where is our safety? He has informed Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's advisor and Vice Chairman of the Buddhist Religious Welfare Trust, retired professor of Dhaka University, Dr. Sukomal Barua about this. He said that he will file a written complaint with the police station in this regard. Police Station Officer-in-Charge S.M. Didarul Islam Sikder said, this is not a robbery or theft, this is banditry. This is not a Buddhist monastery, but a residence of a monk.

 It is mentioned  that on September 6, a robbery was committed in a house adjacent to the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar highway in Dohazari Hashandandi area. At that time, a gang of robbers looted 25 tons of gold ornaments, cash and goods worth more than 80 lakh taka. On August 26, a gang of robbers raided the house of Mozammel Haque in Satbaria Poliya Para and looted 3 tons of gold ornaments, cash and goods worth more than 18 lakh taka. Moreover, robberies were committed in 4 houses in Chandanaish in the last 15 days. On the night of August 12, expatriate Md. A gang of robbers raided the house of Belal Hossain and took away cash, 6.5 kg of gold ornaments and more than 20 lakh taka of goods. On the night of August 16, a gang of robbers raided the house of Abu Taleb Munshi, a micro driver, Shamshul Islam, in the municipality's Dakshin Gachbaria and took away cash, 10 kg of gold ornaments and more than 27 lakh taka of goods. 

On the night of August 23, it is reported that a gang of robbers, posing as administration officials, robbed the house of Khair Ahmed in Notun Para, Dakshin Gachbaria and took away cash, 12 kg of gold ornaments and more than 23 lakh taka of goods.