Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested four members of an inter-district bandit gang, including Master Aslam, from Mirpur embankment under Shah Ali Police Station in the capital on Saturday night.
The detectives also recovered one Hayes microbus, one foreign made pistol, two sharp weapons, two sticks and three looted private cars from their possession.
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The arrestees were identified as Master of the gang Md. Aslamul Haque alias Aslam, Maqbool Hossain Prakash alias Mangal Hossain Babu, Md. Rafiqul Islam and Md. Hasan Hawlader.
Briefing reporters at the DMP Media Center on Sunday, Joint Commissioner (Cyber and Special Crimes and DB-North) of the DMP Mohammad Harun Aur Rashid said that Tejgaon Zonal team of DB (Tejgaon division) conducted a drive at Mirpur embankment and arrested the four bandits.
They also recovered the Hayes microbus, one foreign made pistol, two sharp weapons, two sticks and three looted private cars from their possessions.
About the tactics of the arrested bandits, Joint Commissioner Harun, who has been promoted to the rank of DIG, said they (bandits) basically give signal in front of the freight truck with laser lights. When the truck driver stopped the truck thinking it as a police signal, they fled with the truck, taking the driver and helper hostage at gunpoint, he said.
During primary interrogation, the arrested bandits also revealed that their group leader is the most wanted robber of the present time, Aslamul Haque alias Aslam. The other robbers in the group call him Master, he said.
Led by Aslam, they divided into different groups and carried out robberies in Chapainawabganj, Natore, Naogaon, Bogra, Sirajganj, Kushtia, Tangail, Jamalpur, Mymensingh, Manikganj, Dhaka, Narsingdi, Narayanganj, Shariatpur, Madaripur, Gopalganj, Faridpur and Joshore.
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Later, they (bandits) left them in a secluded place on the way and resorted to looting paddy, rice, cows, fish food etc, which were carried by truck. The robbers then took the truck and robbed somewhere else. They also admitted that they had gathered at the embankment area on the day of the arrest to rob a moving truck.
Two separate cases have been filed with concerned police stations against the arrested under the Preparation for Robbery and Arms Act at DMP's Shahali Police Station