The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has arrested three people in connection with the killing of an auto-rickshaw driver in Kapasia of Gazipur allegedly to steal his vehicle, following which his 75-year-old mother died of cardiac arrest.

The arrestees are Rajib Khan, 29, of Chalar Bazar in Ghagtia area, Nakibul Hasan Rakib, 24, of Mirzanagar, in Kapasia, and Mohammad Kibria, 42, owner of Al-Madina Enterprise at Hatirdia bus stand in Monohardi upazila of Narsingdi.

Muggers killed Ataur Rahman alias Ata Mia, 60, at Mirzanagar of the upazila on August 20 and looted his battery-powered rickshaw.

The victim’s 75-year-old mother also died after suffering cardiac arrest upon learning of her son’s death on the same day.

According to Gazipur PBI Superintendent of Police Md Rakibul Akter, Ataur left home around 4pm on August 20 with his auto-rickshaw, worth around Tk 1.4 lakh, to earn a living.

Before 8pm that day, unidentified assailants attacked and killed him near Mirzanagar Girls’ High School in the Dakkhin Gaogaan area under Sonmania union. They fled with the auto-rickshaw and his mobile phone.

A case was filed with Kapasia Police Station on August 21 against unidentified suspects. The PBI later took over the investigation.

Using advanced technology, digital forensic analysis and information from confidential sources, it arrested Rajib and Rakib within 24 hours of the incident from Chalar Bazar and Narottampur areas of Kapasia.

Based on their information, investigators recovered the stolen auto-rickshaw from Al-Madina Enterprise and arrested the shop owner on charges of purchasing and keeping the vehicle despite knowing it was stolen.

The PBI also recovered Tk 22,000 from the sale of the auto-rickshaw, along with the iron rod, hammer and rope allegedly used in the killing. Investigators found that the suspects sold the auto-rickshaw for Tk 42,000 and divided the money among themselves.

According to the PBI, Rajib and Rakib confessed to the killing in statements recorded under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. They allegedly planned the robbery after becoming burdened with debt and chose Ataur as an easy target because Rakib was distantly related to him.

On the day of the incident, they allegedly called Ataur to an isolated location, strangled him with a rope and hit him on the head with an iron rod and hammer.

They then left his body there and took the auto-rickshaw to Hatirdia in Narsingdi, where they sold it.