People are living their life in consternation amidst steep deterioration of law and order in the country. The report published in the front page of daily sun yesterday, according to which, incidences of serious crime like the kidnapping of businessmen and school-college-going children for ransom by organised gangs marked a sharp rise in the capital and on its outskirts, reflects the rationale behind people’s worry.

It is stated in the report that criminals kidnap their targets with a view to realising a handsome ransom from the victims’ families. In many cases, organised gangs also abduct innocents by posing as lawmen. Soon after abduction, a telephone call came to victim’s family demanding a hefty amount. If something wrong happens in realising their demands, the gangsters even do not hesitate to dispose off their preys. However, in most cases, the kidnappers succeed in exacting handsome amounts of money from their relatives through secret dealings as people fear to inform the matter to police. The situation is particularly worrisome in Gazipur and Narayanganj as well suburban Keraniganj and Savar, where other criminal activities like drug peddling and silent extortion are also rife.

Now the pertinent question is what the members of our law enforcing agencies are doing in this regard. It is not expected that they will be outmanoeuvred by criminals. Erosion of people’ trust on police is one of the reasons behind the tendency of victims’ relatives not to inform the law enforcing agency. People’s trust can be regained only by the efforts of the force to nab the grasses and super-grasses of all sorts of crimes. So, we hope immediate drives would be launched by police to arrest abductors and demolish the network of ransom-seekers. The government should also strengthen law enforcing agencies with modern equipment and devices to make their moves more effective. Above all, we believe that the members of the law enforcing agencies have the ability to restore the law and order in the country; all that needed is their firm determination and honest intention to do so.