Dhaka, June 26 -- In the span of 10 months since a major shift in local political power, at least four murders have shaken the small community of Chanpara, a place now infamous across Bangladesh as a haven for drug trafficking and violent crime.

Located just outside the capital Dhaka and hemmed in on three sides by rivers, Chanpara was never meant to become what it is today.

Originally established in 1974 as a government rehabilitation zone for families displaced by river erosion and natural disasters, the area has devolved into what locals refer to as a "kingdom of criminals".

"Good people don't live here. Those who earn a bit of money get out as soon as they can," said Md Sohel, a grocery shop owner and lifelong resident of the area....