Rab said on Friday they arrested six members of an alleged inter-district robbery gang including its kingpin, while preparing for robbery from Purbobhabnathpur area under Sonargaon upazila.

The elite force also recovered a foreign pistol, one round of bullet, one Chinese axe and locally made other sharp weapons from the possession of the arrestees during the drive, said a press release signed by Lieutenant Colonel Tanvir Mahmud Pasha, commandant of the Rab-11.

The arrested robbers have been identified as leader Shakawat Hossain Rony, 25 and his accomplices Md Sohail, 32, Md Shahidul Islam, 26, Al Amin, 23, Md Ismail, 38, and Sujoy Dey, 30.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of the Rab-11 conducted a drive and arrested the men, said the press release 

In the preliminary interrogation, the men confessed to committing robberies at two places of Araihazar upazila in the district on April 6 and 24 this year.

Ringleader Rony admitted that he used to introduce himself as grandmaster of Kachpur’s “Bandhu Dance Academy” and staged dance on several functions including weddings and birthdays, and develop a close relationship with rich people taking advantage as a performer, the press release said.

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Later, the kingpin and his cohorts committed robbery at their targeted houses holding people hostage at gun point.

Moreover, the men have been involved in robberies in Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gopalganj and adjoining districts for long, targeting houses of expatriates and rich people, it claimed.

A case related to the incident was filed against the men at the local police station, the release added.