The Detective Branch (DB) of police has arrested five members of a gang involved in stealing and snatching mobile phones from passengers aboard public transport in Dhaka.
The arrests were made early on Tuesday in a targeted operation.
The arrestees are Md Ekhlas (27), Md Alauddin (32), Md Al Amin (22), Hridoy Khan (26) and Md Naeem (25), according to a press release from DB.
Based on a tip-off, the suspects were arrested from a house in Bhatara at around 2:45am. During the arrest, police recovered 24 stolen mobile phones of various brands from their possession.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the gang used a coordinated method to carry out the thefts. Members of the group would board public buses and create disturbances by jamming or pushing the vehicle, a tactic known as 'thekman'.
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One member, referred to as the 'machineman', would then target a passenger, stealing their mobile phone.
Following the theft, two to three individuals, known as 'passmen', would pass the stolen mobile phone to the 'bagman', who would store the phones in a bag and move them to a secure location.
A regular case has been filed against them at Bhatara Police Station, under the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).