When Maydul Hassan found himself mugged not once, but twice within a week, the 21-year-old student couldn’t believe his misfortune. The second incident, even more brutal than the first, occurred right in front of the police, who, to his dismay, stood idly by.
Hassan, a participant in the student-led uprising that played a role in ousting former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, now questions the state of the nation he risked his safety for. "This is what I got in return," he expressed. "The nation is drowning in crime, and it seems like no one cares."
The first attack took place on February 13 around 10 pm as Hassan was heading home from his part-time job at a tech company in Mirpur, the capital’s area. The perpetrators robbed him of his Pixel 4XL phone, wallet, university ID, and headphones. Just days later, on February 18, he was assaulted again, this time losing his newly purchased Google Pixel 7 phone, bought with a $400 loan, to heartless thieves who mocked him as he pleaded for its return.
Despite the police being mere meters away during the second attack, they remained inactive, leaving Hassan feeling abandoned. When he tried to report the incidents at a nearby station, a man claiming affiliation with a political party interfered, promising to retrieve his phone but extorting money instead.
Hassan later resorted to filing a complaint online, showing a copy to Al Jazeera, but has yet to witness any police action. His viral Facebook post shed light on the distressing reality of being a victim in a country where criminals roam freely while law enforcement turns a blind eye.
The alarming rise in crime across Bangladesh, a nation of 170 million, has left its citizens on edge. In January 2025 alone, police recorded 242 instances of mugging and robbery, the highest in six years, alongside a surge in murders, robberies, and abductions compared to the previous year.
The unsettling crime wave has triggered public outrage and protests, with demonstrations demanding accountability from authorities. The current interim government, led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, faces mounting pressure to address the deteriorating law and order situation.
As fear grips the populace, some communities have taken matters into their own hands, forming vigilante groups to combat criminal activities. However, such actions underscore a profound loss of faith in the official law enforcement agencies, signaling a deeper societal breakdown.
In the absence of a concrete electoral timeline, the interim government grapples with restoring public trust and safety, with many disillusioned young Bangladeshis questioning the outcome of their past efforts for a better, safer nation.