Correspondent, Cumilla

Police have detained 624 people for questioning during a special operation against juvenile gangs in Cumilla.

The operation began simultaneously at 18 police stations across the district on Wednesday evening and continued until around 1:30am. Among those detained were students of different educational institutions.

Lutfur Rahman, media officer of Cumilla District Police and an additional superintendent of police, said the operation was conducted on the instructions of Superintendent of Police Anisuzzaman after police received information about the involvement of teenagers in various criminal activities in recent times.

Police said areas where juvenile gangs and groups of unruly youths were reportedly active were brought under the operation. Authorities are checking whether those detained have any previous involvement in criminal activities. Legal action will be taken if investigations find evidence of their involvement in offences.

According to police, 75 people were detained by Cumilla Kotwali Model Police Station, 46 by Sadar South Model Police Station, 50 by Burichang Police Station, 41 by Manoharganj Police Station, 59 by Daudkandi Police Station and 35 by Laksham Police Station. Information regarding those detained at the remaining police stations is still being verified.

Towhidul Anwar, officer-in-charge of Cumilla Kotwali Model Police Station, said police were also verifying which of those detained were students.

“If evidence of involvement in criminal activities is found, they will be sent to court. Those against whom no such evidence is found may be released into the custody of their families after being warned,” he said.

Parents Concerned Over Detention of Students

Following the start of the operation, crowds of parents were seen outside Cumilla Kotwali Model, Sadar South and several other police stations from Wednesday night.

Many parents waited outside the stations until late at night after learning that their children had been detained.

Several people detained by Kotwali Model Police Station were picked up from the Eidgah field area. Among them was a Class 10 student of a local school.

The boy’s mother said her son had left home after evening to attend private tutoring, but she later learned that he had been detained at the police station.

Police said the student would be released after verification if no involvement in any criminal activity was found.

Several people were also detained from different locations around Cumilla University and Kotbari under the jurisdiction of Sadar South Model Police Station. One of them was a 16-year-old boy.

His father claimed that his son had merely been talking with several friends and had no connection with any juvenile gang.

While supporting the need for operations against juvenile gangs, he said it was equally important to ensure that innocent students were not harassed in the process.

Operation Intensified After Apratim’s Killing

The activities of juvenile gangs in Cumilla have come under renewed scrutiny in recent days, particularly following the killing of 13-year-old Ishayat Shahriar Apratim last Friday.

Apratim was a Class 7 student at Cumilla Border Guard Public School.

Police have arrested four people in connection with the killing and said two of them are juveniles. Police also said three of the arrested suspects have given confessional statements before a court over their alleged involvement in the killing.

Following Apratim’s death, teachers and students of Cumilla University held various programmes demanding action against juvenile gangs.

Soon afterwards, police intensified anti-juvenile gang operations in different parts of the district.