CNG-run Auto rickshaw Hijacking in Dhaka City.

It is dreadfully true that people of Dhaka city became stunned when

they first discovered some poor people who were trying to continue their occupation

inside from an iron case. People made fun for this foolish activity but their fun making

did not last long as they came to know, that was nothing but a protection, which might

save the life and tool of those poor, naïve and hard working people. Yes, I’m telling

about nothing but the green CNG-run auto rickshaw’s drivers as these auto rickshaws are

now being frequently hijacked by some organized gangs of hijackers. This again reminds

us the difficulty for businessmen to execute their business in our Dhaka city, as they

always have to maintain a mutual understanding with the criminals as the businesses

depend on the movements of these dire people. CNG-run auto rickshaw hijacking is an

open secret now in Dhaka city. Every CNG-run auto rickshaw owner, its drivers and also

general people are very anxious about this matter. Can we do anything for this at this

moment? The answer might be very controversial. According to ‘NEWAGE Xtra’

“Hijacked”, there are 20 to 22 organized gangs are involved in these hijacking.

Especially CNG owners are being victimized. It is very interesting that the owners

usually get their auto rickshaws back and they have to pay a huge amount of money for

this. Currently it is the crying need of every CNG owner to get rid of these severe

conditions, but still there is no solution. CNG auto rickshaw hijackers have created a

revolution in their working areas. They are conducting their activities from every corner

of this city. For these reason it has become a great problem for owners to preserve their

auto rickshaws. Not only it is a very good vehicle for transportation but also it removes

some unemployment problem of our country. These continuous hijacking circumstances

are demoralizing investors to invest their money in this sector as every day more CNG

auto rickshaws are being hijacked from Dhaka city, and hijackers follow different types

of approaches, as they are very innovative in nature. Some of their policies already have

been invented and some are still unknown. In accordance with ‘NEWAGE Xtra’

“Hijacked”, hijackers are mainly using drugs and when they become unable to use drugs

on drivers then they use arms, not only this they are even using their innocent kids and

some women too to perform their activities. Hijackers are feeling great taste in this as

they get huge money by operating a single hijack. For this reason hijacking has become a

great business for them.

Before the arrival of CNG technology, people were habituated with two

stroke scooters. According to ‘The Bangladesh Observer’ “More Four” there were forty

thousand scooters emitting smoke in the Dhaka metropolitan street. The scooters were

hazardous to health and traffic as those scooters were blocking the space of the road and

polluting the atmosphere. At that moment, CNG technology was the only option to

reduce the pollutions and then government came forward and took the opportunity.

CNG-run auto rickshaw was first introduced in Bangladesh in the year 2002. It is

playing an important role in reducing the immense air and cracking sound pollution from

Dhaka city. That is how this CNG-run auto rickshaw has brought a great comfort to the

life of the city people and because of that, they accept it without any hesitation. For this

reason to expand this environment friendly vehicle, huge steps have already been taken

by the government and people from different places appreciated these CNG-run vehicles

as well.

When people began to take breathe freely, then that peace was not

endured by some dirty shady people and these shady people are nothing but the CNG-

run vehicles hijackers. They found a great flavor in CNG-run auto rickshaws for their

prey, as it is small, light in weight, which gives them a great opportunity to manage

handsome amount of money from the owners of these auto rickshaws. These hijackers

are limited in number but holds great power. They established their rule all over the

Dhaka city over CNG-run auto rickshaws. Their activity has made the auto drivers to

build an iron case to get relief from them but this action couldn’t able to rescue them as

still more hijacking is occurring everyday.

These auto rickshaws hijacking system is very attention-grabbing. From

‘Shaptahik2000’ “CNG Hijacking Network” we came to know that, four steps are taking

part for an entire hijacking process and different four types of people handle this system.

These four types of people are known as

A) Kamla

B) Advance Party or Organizer

C) Dalal and

D) Keeper

First hijackers hijack a CNG and these hijackers known as ‘Kamla’. After taking that a

little away, they handle this over to another party, in which a uniformed auto driver is

found and they are named as ‘Advance Party’ or ‘Organizer’. They take the auto

rickshaw in its destination place. Among them nobody is directly involved in any crime.

Usually they are very powerful and they used to monitor the whole process. If anybody

of hijackers falls in any danger then they come forward and rescue him. Organizers

sometime use several women and even some of their innocent kids for their operation.

For instance, third important person is ‘Keeper’. They take the CNG from advance party.

They used to keep this CNG in their garage for a certain time of period and they usually

live far from Dhaka. (Asulia, Tongi, Gajipur, Savar somewhere like that) as they sense

secured out from the town. That doesn’t mean all these keepers live out of the town,

several of them stayed in Dhaka though. In this hijacking system the functions of a

‘Dalal’ is mostly important. They are the familiar face of the society and they usually do

their business that includes retail machine equipments of auto rickshaws, oil, Mobil etc.

They used to live different house in different time at the same location that they feel

safe.

‘Shaptahik2000’ “CNG Hijacking Network” reported ‘Advance party’

takes the mobile number of the victim and generally, they use pre-paid mobile phones.

After hijacking, they call to the owner of the CNG. Their conversation is used to occur

very briefly. They just ask the name of the victimized CNG owner and state the number

of the hijacked CNG’s and they tell a Dalal’s name to the victim and ordered him to

communicate with that ‘Dalal’. Later on, they used to off their cell phones.

Then the owner starts his running in search of ‘Dalal’. It is very

difficult to find out that ‘Dalal’ as ‘Dalal’ willingly takes more time to expose him. The

more the time goes the more the anxiety increases. After two or three days, ‘Dalal’ is

found. Then he acts like a magnanimous person and he demands seventy to eighty

thousand taka. After bargaining a lot he

Some Examples:

These above circumstances mainly affect the owners and gradually they are becoming

demoralized to invest in this sector, though this business able to attract huge investors.

Mainly the middle class people are found in the business who has limited money and

power and these people don’t have any faith on police. That’s why they (in the most

cases) don’t even go to the police as they think, police can give no solutions but to

harass them and if they claim to police then they might have a chance to lose their

CNGs forever. ‘The Daily Star “CNGs ill” said ‘harassment by police has become a

new dilemma for the CNG scooter drivers in the city, most of them claim. They

complain that police sergeants on the road of the capital harass them for money.’

From this, it has become clear that, CNG owners and its drivers have lost their faith

over police and they have only way to take the help from the ‘Dalal’.

For the research of CNG-auto rickshaw hijacking in Dhaka city and the

hijacking effects on CNG owners, which is affecting our economy I have prepared a

questionnaire for CNG drivers as the drivers always handle the auto rickshaws. In this

questionnaire, I have tried to give some relevant questions (including some demographic

question too) that can able to help me. I myself talked with more than twenty auto

rickshaw’s drivers and took their views and I think I came out with lots of new

information. I have conducted my survey on those drivers and the analyses of the survey

are as follows:

Question: It is a matter of great anxiety that the continuing hijacking of CNGs.

What you are thinking of this right now?

It has increased.

Has decreased

No changes as it was before

No hijacking right now.

Graph:

From the very first question, it has become clear that the CNG auto

rickshaw hijacking is happening all over the Dhaka city as none of the drivers said there

is no hijacking right now. Among them 37% said, it has increased; same percentages

said it has decreased and 27% of them said there is no change in hijacking as it was

before.

Question: Have your CNG ever been Hijacked?

Never from me, but other’s CNGs from the garage where I reside my CNG

Never from me and never from the garage.

1 time

2 times

More than two times

This graph is showing 68% of the drivers are more or less concern about

this matter, and 27% of them have direct experience as hijackers took their CNGs at their

presence (by applying different processes). 05% percent of them have no idea about this

but the interesting part of the graph is none of the driver has lost his CNG for two times.

Question: Have you got your CNG back?

Yes

No but still hope to get back

No, no hope to get back

Form the question we came to know that most of the owners generally

get their CNGs back as 90% of them said they get their CNGs back again. 05% of them

no hope to get back and 05% them has still hope to get back as he recently lost his auto

rickshaw.

Question: How much money a owner need to give if he would want to get his CNG

back?

More than 50,000 tk

More than 40,000 tk

More than 30,000 tk

Without money

All the drivers said an owner has no way but to give more than 50000

taka if he would want to get his CNG back but this would not must be in an easy way as

hijackers demand more than 70 or 80 thousand taka sometimes. For a solution, a long

negotiation would take place and at last, hijackers agree to give the CNG back with that

50000 money.

Question: Which is the most preferable time for CNG hijackers?

a) Morning to noon

b) Noon to evening

d) Mostly in Late night.

E) Any time.

This graph shows the preferable time for hijacker’s to perform their

operations. Most of the drivers said (59%) there is no preferable timetable for hijackers

and then the other majority of driver’s (22%) said, most CNG hijacking occurs form

evening to late night, some driver’s (19%) said morning time is the most favorable time

for hijacking and rest percentage of drivers (9%) for the noon to evening time.

Question: How many hijacking generally occurs every day?

Less than 10

More than 10

More than 30

More than 40

This graph indicates 64% of CNG drivers said that more than ten CNGs

are being hijacked from this Dhaka city everyday that means hijackers are taking more

than 7 lacks money from the auto rickshaws owner’s everyday.

Question: What steps need to take to overcome this situation?

Nothing may work.

Settings check posts.

It is enough if police become active

Drivers should be more careful

This graph shows the irresponsibility of police as more than sixty (61%)

drivers said that police is not active and they have to be more active and helpful. 22% of

the drivers give their opinion to the settlement of check posts. Some drivers also said that

they have to be more careful and very few drivers said nothing nay work to stop this

hijacking.

Question: What owners are thinking about their CNG business?

They take this simply.

They are quite frustrated to quit their business.

No way but to continue as they have no other options of business

They are rushing to other businesses.

This graph is the most important graph as it is indicating the movements

of the owners. From the graph we can able, to see that (according to the driver’s opinion)

46% of the CNG owners are very frustrated to quit their business and 31% of them

(CNG owners) has no way to continue their business as they have more CNGs. Other

23% are thinking of other businesses and none of them has taken this condition simply.

From this survey, I came to know many more information about CNG

hijacking from the drivers. For instance, drivers are letting their time in a great anxiety.

Nowadays, they have become more careful as they are not taking anybody as usual.

They only agree go that place which they know very well and they don’t even go inside

of a road if they smell any wrong thing around them. Some drivers claimed that some

victimized owners are taking more money from the driver’s (550 taka instead of 500)

and they sometimes take half of the money from their drivers when they lost their CNG

auto rickshaw. On the other hand, some general people claimed that CNG drivers have

become crazy. They don’t want to go to the place where they want to go and the drivers

demand more money that is not according to the meter. When I asked a CNG auto driver

that, how hijackers are applying sleeping drugs over them? Then the reply was, some

time they can not recognize the criminals at the first sight, the criminals can make

friendship so quickly, that makes a driver to trust them but which brings a huge

misfortune for him and for its owner’s as well. Hijackers are looking for any single

chance, and they are very keen to hit the target in accurate time.

At the present, we have to do something against this hijacking. What

would be the solution? Some drivers said, from when RAB (Rapid Action Battalion) has

started their operations, the hijacking has reduced significantly but steal it is going on.

Most of the drivers said if police become responsible and helpful then the hijackers have

no way to flee. This again reminds us the poor infrastructure of police department and

their skills as well. It is exciting to see the running auto rickshaw hijacking are being

controlled by some top criminals. They are conducting their business in the open market.

It is heard that CNG hijackers are earning more than fifteen lack taka per/day. (according

to ‘Shaptahik2000’ “CNG Hijacking Network”). We should not forget that CNG-run

auto rickshaw is a great transportation, which is air pollution free and environmental

friendly vehicles. It has made some employment. If the owners quit their business, then

unemployment problem will increase which affects our poor economy also. We must

have to notice that most of the owners, who are doing CNG business, are middle class

people. They have limited money, limited influence. They don’t have any command in

administration. Is this the only reason of their being victim every time? If this is not true

then why is hijacking is happening? How those ‘Dalal’s has become their only hope to

find their CNGs? Why CNG owners used to buy a CNG with 3 lack 50000 taka instead

of one lack 67000 taka( According to ‘NEWAGE Editorial’ “CNG scam”)? Why CNG

drivers have to drive their vehicles inside from an iron case? Is our government not

responsible for that or the responsibility is only for the CNG owner’s and its drivers?

CNG auto rickshaw owners have an association but this is nothing but a

hopeless union. They have to create a powerful alliance among one another. We have to

come out from this curse and we have to take huge responsibility and necessary steps. If

we can’t come out of this position then its consequences will be awful. Government

already has taken some steps, like increasing police at some points, introducing RABs

etc but which is not sufficient. we need quick solutions; otherwise, we will see the end of

CNG transportation. DOES GOVERNMENT HAVE SOME TIME TO THINK

ABOUT THIS MATTER SERIOUSLY?