United News of Bangladesh

A teacher of Comilla University was abducted by a group posing as Uber riders and robbed of Tk 97,500 while travelling from Cumilla to Dhaka. The victim, Abdur Razzak Sohel, a lecturer at the university’s Mass Communication and Journalism Department, filed a case with Cumilla Sadar South Police Station on Thursday against four unidentified people. The incident occurred in the Kotbari Bishwaroad area of Cumilla. Comilla University shut down indefinitely The criminals later took him to Daudkandi where they looted cash and money from his mobile banking accounts before releasing him. According to the victim, he went to the Kotbari area on Wednesday afternoon in a colleague’s private car for urgent work. He was waiting for a bus to Dhaka when a private car stopped in front of him. A man in the car asked if he had called an Uber. Although he said he had not, the man claimed his photo appeared on the app. When he tried to check the matter, three other people in the car forced him inside. The attackers beat him on the chest and head during the abduction. They later took him to an ATM booth of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited near Abid Market in Daudkandi. There they withdrew Tk 80,000 from his account in four transactions of Tk 20,000 each. The criminals also took Tk 15,000 from his wallet and around Tk 2,500 from his mobile banking account. Before releasing him, they removed the SIM card from his phone and reset the device. Sohel said the attackers threatened to burn him with acid and make him unconscious with chemicals. They later dropped him from the car and warned him not to look back, saying they would shoot if he did. Mohammad Sirajul Islam, Officer in Charge of Cumilla Sadar South Police Station, said a case has been filed against four unidentified people. “Police are investigating the incident and trying to arrest those involved,” he added.

Muggers snatched Tk 90,000 stabbing a transport worker near Sheikh Kamal School on Khondkar road at Shympur in Dhaka on Tuesday. The victim is  Golam Kibria, 45, a staff member of Borak Transport’s Bangsal branch.  Witnesses said when he was returning home by rickshaw three people stopped him in front of the school and  snatched  Tk 90,000 and a mobile phone stabbing on his left hand. 3 arrested for staging robbery to steal expat’s Tk 10 Lakh Kibria was initially treated at a local hospital and later transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s emergency department. Inspector Md Faruk, Officer-in-Charge of Dhaka Medical Police Camp said Shyampur police have been informed and an investigation is ongoing.

Robbers snatched Tk 11.25 crore from a private security agency’s vehicle in Turag area of Dhaka’s Uttara this morning. Shariful Islam, inspector (Investigation) of Turag Police Station, said that the incident happened while a private security company’s vehicle with Tk 11.25 crore – of Dutch Bangla Bank Ltd – was going towards Savar EPZ area to deposit the money at the bank’s ATM booths. At Uttara Sector-16, a group of eight armed people stopped the vehicle and took away the money at gunpoint, he said, adding that police are raiding nearby places to recover the money.

A group of cattle traders returning home by a ferry after selling their cattle and goats was robbed of Tk 30 lakh by armed men in the Meghna river off the coast of Barishal on Tuesday. Faruk Hossain, sub-inspector of Kaliganj River Police, said Aziz Shikdar, a cattle trader, along with 10-15 others, hired the vessel to go to Laxmipur Mollarhat from Char Ekokria for selling 28 cattle and 50 goats ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. Read: 7 injured in clash between rival BCL factions at Barishal University While they were returning home after selling all the goats and 18 cattle, armed robbers got into the ferry in the Lalboya area around 6pm, thrashed them and decamped with the cash, the officer said. "A probe is on," said SI Faruk.

An organized gang of robbers on Monday made away with Tk 725,000 (7.25 lakh) after assaulting a cattle-trader here in broad daylight.