Dhaka, Jan 26 (NationPress) The Awami League of Bangladesh raised alarms on Monday regarding the nation's worsening security conditions, which they claim have taken a grave turn. They warned that kidnapping has evolved from sporadic criminal activities into a well-organized, nationwide enterprise.

The party described the state of kidnapping in Bangladesh as a nightmare for everyday citizens, citing instances such as a sub-assistant engineer in Bogura district being forced to pay ransom twice, and the tragic murder of Sudipto Roy, a student from Cambrian College in Dhaka, over an unpaid demand of 8 million Bangladeshi taka.

According to the Awami League, alarming statistics reveal a catastrophic drop in public safety, with the number of kidnapping cases more than doubling from 445 in 2021 to 1,005 in 2025.

The party referred to data from the Bangladesh police headquarters, indicating that these incidents intensified during the political transition in 2024 after the removal of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The statistics revealed that over half of all abductions occurred in the country's economic centers, with the Dhaka Division and Metropolitan area accounting for 403 cases and Chattogram Division 203 in 2025.

“The reality that citizens are no longer safe in commercial centers points to a complete failure of the law enforcement framework,” the Awami League remarked.

Critics, as per the party, argue that the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, lacking an electoral mandate, has resulted in diminished accountability. Touhidul Haque, a crime analyst from Dhaka University, noted that “victim families often perceive their pleas for assistance as falling on deaf ears.”

“While the police frequently categorize these occurrences as 'financial disputes,' the sheer frequency of abductions indicates a more profound issue: the absence of the rule of law. When a government does not answer to its constituents, the safety of those constituents often becomes a secondary priority,” stated the Awami League.

Highlighting that behind every statistic lies a mourning family, the party noted that the rise in kidnappings in 2025 underscores that these actions are increasingly motivated by cold, financial extortion and land grabbing, rather than personal vendettas.

“Critics of the interim government assert that the pursuit of maintaining power through foreign support and undemocratic methods has opened the floodgates for militant groups and criminal syndicates. For the families of the abducted, the promised 'change' in July has brought nothing but insecurity, extortion, and the loss of loved ones,” the Awami League added.

As crime rates continue to surge, the party posed the question: how much longer can the citizens of Bangladesh withstand this atmosphere of fear?