After repeated requests from rickshaw-pullers and the owners, the police assured them of taking steps, but nothing could stop the well-organised gangs.

Babul Gazi, a rickshaw-van puller of Rupnagar, Mirpur, has become disabled recently when criminals attacked him to snatch his van.

Babul, now totally dependent on his wife for his livelihood, described how the incident occurred. He said two well-dressed persons rented his van for carrying some goods from Panthapath to Mohammadpur and they offered him a cup of tea at a roadside stall before loading the goods on his van.

"After drinking the tea, I don't know what happened as I became unconscious," said Babul, who was rescued with critical injuries in both his arms and legs, from Banani by another rickshaw-puller. His family found him at Dhaka Medical College Hospital three days later.

"I'm grateful to Allah for being alive despite losing my only source of earning," said Babul whose physical condition after the incident does not permit him to work anymore.

Several rickshaw owners told Star City about the locations of the lifters' hideouts in the city. When this correspondent visited a hideout at Mirpur Ansar Camp posing as a rickshaw owner who lost his rickshaw, Abdul Wahab, a broker, showed the reporter photographs of many rickshaw lifters and asked him to recognise the lifter.

Further investigations show that several hundred rickshaw-lifter gangs are active in the city and most of them are well organised. The gangs have big garages where the stolen rickshaws are reassembled. They charge Tk 4,000 to 5,000 to return a stolen rickshaw.

The brokers maintain close link with the lifters' gangs and give information to the owners of their stolen rickshaws. They take Tk 300 to 500 for giving such information and setting up contact between the owner and the gang.

The brokers maintain charts of stolen rickshaws with serial numbers and photo albums of the lifters to help the owners recognise the lifters quickly.

Rickshaw pullers and owners at Mirpur-1, Pallabi, Mohammadpur, Gabtoli and Khilkhet alleged that the police officers and the politically influential persons often harass the rickshaw owners if any one of them stand against the rickshaw lifters.

The rickshaw owners' associations have long been demanding action by the authorities for their security. Bangladesh Rickshaw Van Owners' and Pullers' Association even tried to evict the lifters' hideouts recently but following assurance from Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mizanur Rahman, they called off their programme.

The DMP authorities said they conducted several drives against the rickshaw lifters but it was very hard for them to continue it due to shortage of manpower.