Crimes Including Kidnapping Surge Several Times: Severe Law and Order Decline Under Yunus Administration

Staff Correspondent

During the Yunus government’s rule, various types of crimes, including kidnapping, have increased at an alarming rate in the country. Kidnapping has emerged as the biggest example of the deterioration of the law and order situation. 715 people were kidnapped in the 8 months from January to August 2025. Last year, the number was 340 at this time. That is, the kidnapping rate has more than doubled in the space of one year.

In particular, July this year saw a peak of 109 kidnappings—the highest number in any single month in the past six years. An average of about three people were kidnapped every day in the first eight months of the year.

From these statistics, experts say that the law and order situation has deteriorated severely during the Yunus government.

This information has emerged in the monthly crime statistics of the Bangladesh Police Headquarters. However, not only official data, but also the observations of the country’s top human rights organizations have reflected the same concern. According to them, the real picture is even more horrific, because many kidnapping cases are not registered due to influence, intimidation or administrative negligence. The victims have not received legal assistance.

In 2024, 340 people were kidnapped from January to August. However, in the same period in 2025, this number increased to 715. This means that there were an average of 89.38 kidnappings per month, which is more than double the number of kidnappings last year.

The Center for Governance Studies (CGS) research organization reported that there were an average of 86.17 kidnappings per month in 2025—a 61.07 percent increase from the previous year.

This concern has been expressed in the CGS’s ‘Bangladesh Crime Reports 2020-25’ report. The report says that this crime trend is a reflection of the failure of law enforcement agencies. At the same time, it is also said that the government’s use of law enforcement agencies to protect its political interests is leaving a gap in the control of real crime, which criminals are taking advantage of.

ZI Khan Panna, chairman of the human rights organization Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), said, “Currently, the lack of rule of law in the country is glaring. Without the patronage of the government, it is often not possible to file a case. There is no way to deny that this situation is acting as a catalyst for the increase in crime.”

Crime expert Dr. Touhidul Haque said, when crime increases, the authorities put forward various explanations behind it, but there are no real steps to control crime. As a result of this unprofessionalism, criminals become more reckless. According to him, the fact that an average of three people are kidnapped every day means that the rule of law is in an extreme crisis in the country.

Three recent sensational kidnappings:

Patiya, Chittagong (September 17): Terrorists kidnapped chicken trader Nurul Absar at gunpoint. After taking 40,000 taka from his pocket, they demanded another 1.7 million taka in ransom. Although the police rescued him within two hours, the incident highlighted the weakness of the law and order situation.

Comilla: CID recovers skull of rickshaw puller Mehedi Hasan 36 days after kidnapping. Kidnappers say he was killed for hijacking an auto-rickshaw. Three people have been arrested in the incident.

Chapainawabganj (September 15): Sunny Ahmed was kidnapped over a debt owed to him. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of 8 lakh taka. Police rescued him at night and arrested five people.

Citizens are angry that the law and order situation in the country has practically collapsed during the Yunus government’s rule. Crime is constantly increasing, but there is no effective initiative to control it. Rather, as a result of the administration’s political behavior, criminals are getting shelter, and the common people are losing security.