218 patrol teams deployed to maintain law and order: Rab

To maintain law and order across the country, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) has intensified its operations, including robust patrolling and setting up checkpoints, to apprehend criminals including thieves, muggers, robbers, and those with illegal firearms.

As part of this initiative, Rab deployed 218 patrol teams -- 69 in Dhaka and 149 outside the capital -- while increased intelligence surveillance through officers in plainclothes nationwide.

Lieutenant Colonel Ashikur Rahman, director of the Legal and Media Wing of Rab Headquarters, disclosed the details to The Daily Star today.

He said, "To prevent instability and criminal activities such as theft, mugging, robbery, and armed violence, Rab has strengthened its operations, which include aggressive patrolling and checkpoints."

He further said that Rab remains committed to eliminating terrorism and drug-related crimes while ensuring the arrest of individuals involved in murder, extortion, burglary, robbery, and abduction to uphold peace and security.

Highlighting recent crime incidents, the Rab official said that certain groups have been attempting to create panic among people through their involvement in violent attacks and subversive activities in various parts of the country.

Criminals have carried out thefts, muggings, robberies, murders, and extortion and they also assaulted innocent civilians in brutal ways, he pointed out.

In response, Rab launched countrywide operations from the night of February 24 to curb any such violence and disorder, said the director.

Meanwhile, Rab Headquarters, in a media statement, said that the force has been working in coordination with other law enforcement agencies, deploying a total of 218 patrol teams and intensifying intelligence monitoring with plainclothes officers.

Additionally, Rab's cyber monitoring unit is actively tracking online platforms to prevent the spread of rumours and misinformation in the virtual space, it reads.

The force also urged people to report any instances of disorder or criminal activities to assist in maintaining law and order across the country, the statement added.