Police arrested five operatives of an organized gang, who allegedly committed a robbery posing as members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Dhaka’s Kakrail area on December 4, from several areas of Dhaka on Thursday.
Besides, a microbus and eight mobile phones used during the robbery were seized.
The arrestees included Mohammad Sajjad Hossain, 35, Mohammad Kabir Hossain, 50, Mohammad Sharif, 25, Mohammad Monir Hossain, 40, and, Mohammad Habibur Khandakar, 38, said a media release sent from Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
According to a case statement, one Saiful Islam, Deputy Managing Director (DMD) of the Trasmil Company Limited in Demra, was carrying an amount of Tk 26 lakh inside a school bag, which he had withdrawn from a gold jewelry shop in Tantibazar.
On the afternoon of December 4, Saiful boarded a bus from Bangshal Chaurasta, intending to go to his house in Badda.
As the bus stopped at a traffic signal near Kakrail in Ramna, 10-12 people boarded the bus and identified themselves as members of RAB. One of them was wearing a RAB-branded jacket and had handcuffs and a wireless set in his possession.
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The gang told passengers that a suspect in a case was traveling on the bus. They pointed to Saiful Islam and forcibly dragged him off the bus, and made him get into a white microbus they were using for the robbery, according to the statement.
After robbing him, they blindfolded him, bound his hands, and left him on the road in Demra.
The victim, Saiful Islam, filed a robbery case at the Ramna Model Thana on December 11, based on which the police launched an investigation.
Further investigation, including the analysis of CCTV footage and intelligence gathering, led the police to seize the microbus used in the robbery on Thursday from the ECB Square area in the Cantonment area of Dhaka. The driver, Mohammad Kabir Hossain, was arrested.
Based on his information, a raid was conducted at 1:40pm in front of Al Razzak Hotel in Bangshal, leading to the arrest of four more gang members: Sajjad, Sharif, Monir, and Habibur. Eight mobile phones, used in the robbery, were recovered from their possession.
During preliminary interrogation, it was revealed that the arrested individuals were active members of a well-organized inter-district robbery gang. They used the identity of law enforcement agencies to carry out robberies across Dhaka and surrounding districts, following a strict chain of command.
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They addressed their leaders as “Sir” and distributed the loot according to pre-arranged shares. The gang consists of around 10-12 members, each playing specific roles in the execution of robberies.
The arrested suspects were sent to court, and the investigation into the case continues. Efforts to recover other stolen goods and arrest remaining gang members are ongoing.