Highway police to remain active to check crimes during Eid

Surrounding the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha, the highway police will remain active against the highway criminals, including extortionists, who usually become desperate just ahead of the festival.  

As part of the move, the highway police have already launched a helpline app ‘Hello HP”.

For emergency assistance in any situation on the highway, the help of the nearest highway police will be available at the push of a button, police said.

Simultaneously, the police headquarters has reportedly directed all law enforcers concernedworking on different highways across the country not to harass the goods-carrying trucks in the name of checking their document papers.

At the same time, the headquarters also sounded a note of warning, saying that stern action would be taken against those corrupted law enforcers if they are found involved in any immoral act like extortion from the cattle-laden transports.

There are widespread allegations of extortion from transport, including cattle-laden and goods-carrying trucks, on different roads and highways across the country during the Eid-ul-Azha festival.

A section of dishonest highway police men and highway musclemen is usually involved in collecting toll from different Dhaka-bound cattle-laden trucks, detective sources said.

Such ill-practice in the name of checking documents goes on for all the year round, alleged transport workers. Extortions on highways by different quarters add to the transport costs and contribute greatly to commodity price hikes, traders alleged.

Transport owners and employees alleged that they were forced to pay money to extortionists at different spots on the highways on a regular basis, and the traffic and highway police also take their share.

Shamim, a truck driver of Khajuria in Magura said, “We are really held hostage to these highway police men.”

“The highway police men intimidating to get involved in various cases force us to pay them toll,” the driver said.

Meanwhile, the highway police sources said with a view to curbing the highway crimes, including toll extortion from the cattle-laden trucks, top official of the highway police Additional IGP Md Shahabuddin has already instructed all of his highway police officials to go for action against the highway criminals, including extortionists.

Meanwhile, the highway police chief on Wednesday saidif there is no specific complaint, the cattle-laden truck cannot be stopped anywhere on the highway.

He said this at a coordination meeting organised to keep the highway safe and free of traffic jams on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha-2023 in the conference room of the headquarters of Armed Police Battalion (APBN) in Uttara on Wednesday.

The highway police chief also warned, if anyone stops the vehicle on the highway unnecessarily, it will not be tolerated. A banner should be placed in front of each cattle-laden vehicle.

He said no cattle market volunteer can enter the market by force or obstruction.

For this reason, the destination should be written on the front and back of each cattle carrier.

Then, there will be no chance of extortion.Those who are related to transportation are sure that there will be no extortion.

In many cases, drugs are transported in cattle trucks, he said, adding: “We will have specific monitoring in this regard. We will have vigilance and supervision so that drug dealers do not get any opportunity.”

When asked about the solution to the problem of extortion in the names of various organisations, he said, "We are firmly saying on behalf of the law and order forces, on behalf of the highway police - there is no opportunity for extortion and there will not be any.I strongly believe that those who are commuterswill use the highway and will have a safe environment, and we will implement it.”

The cooperation and awareness of everyone is very necessary to solve traffic congestion on the highway.