786 Arrested in a Day-Long Chattogram Range Operation across 11 Districts, with 474 Held in the Kishore Gang Drive

In the past 24 hours, Chattogram Range police have arrested 786 people in special operations across 11 districts of the range. The drives were carried out to prevent crimes including kishore gangs, snatching, extortion, terrorist activities and drugs. The figures were released in a report of the Chattogram Range police office on Friday (23 October) afternoon.

Among those arrested, 111 were held in regular cases, 53 in earlier cases, 15 under Section 34 of the Police Act, four under Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, and 23 under Section 151 and other laws. The operation therefore targeted not only fresh offenders but also accused in older cases.

The drive also scored heavily on executing warrants. Ninety-two people with warrants and 14 with sentence warrants were arrested — meaning many accused whose court warrants had been pending for a long time were finally caught.

In the anti-drug part of the operation, 27 people were arrested — one drug carrier and 26 drug users. Another 50 people were arrested as drug dealers in regular and other cases, and a total of 29 drug cases were filed in the anti-drug drives.

The operation also delivered instant punishment through mobile courts. Eight people were jailed by mobile courts, and Tk 550 in fines was collected.

Operations were also run against members of banned organisations, with 23 people arrested in total. Of them, 13 were held in Feni, three in Chattogram, two in Cumilla, two in Noakhali, and one each in Lakshmipur, Rangamati and Khagrachhari. Feni accounts for the largest share of this list.

The biggest part of the operation was the drive against kishore gangs, in which 474 people were detained. Of them, 278 were handed over to their guardians on bond, while legal action was taken against the remaining 196.

In the kishore gang drive, district-wise, the highest number — 175 — were detained in Cumilla. In addition, 95 were held in Chattogram, 63 in Lakshmipur, 54 in Noakhali, 39 in Chandpur, 23 in Brahmanbaria, 15 in Khagrachhari, nine in Cox's Bazar and one in Rangamati.

The figures show the kishore gang problem is spread across the whole Chattogram Range, but is densest in Cumilla and Chattogram districts. The decision to release a large share of the detainees into their guardians' custody on bond suggests police took a cautionary path on one side, while still keeping legal action against those involved.

Taken together, this single day's operation touched almost every branch of crime — from kishore gangs to drugs, from snatching and extortion to banned organisations, and from fresh cases to old warrants. According to the range police report, this was the combined picture of 24 hours.

Further legal process against those arrested will proceed through the relevant police stations and courts. How lasting an effect such continuing police drives have on crime will depend on how quickly the investigations and trials of these cases move forward.