Police authorities in Bangladesh have stated that the country’s murder figures remain within the average long-term trend, responding to recent data released by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).
According to TIB, a total of 605 murders, 196 kidnappings, 294 robberies, and 90 dacoity cases were reported in Bangladesh during March and April.
However, in a statement issued on Monday, police said the presentation of the data lacks important contextual details and may lead to misinterpretation of the overall crime situation.
Most Cases Driven by Personal Disputes
Police reported that out of the 605 registered murder cases, 336 were linked to long-standing personal enmity, 146 to family disputes, and 69 to property or financial conflicts. Only three cases were categorized as politically motivated killings, accounting for just 0.5 percent of the total.
Authorities further noted that Bangladesh records between 3,000 and 4,500 murder cases annually over the past decade. When the recent two-month figure is extrapolated to an annual rate, it translates to approximately 3,630 cases — which, they argue, falls within the historical average.
Police Defend Statistical Interpretation
Officials also highlighted that, given Bangladesh’s population of nearly 180 million, the homicide rate over the two-month period stands at approximately 0.34 per 100,000 people, which they say is not high by global standards.
They warned that presenting raw numbers without context could create public misunderstanding about the actual crime situation. According to police, most incidents are driven by interpersonal disputes, family conflicts, or economic disagreements, while broader categorization is necessary to understand the true pattern of violence.
