United News of Bangladesh

Amid the growing incidents of mugging across the country, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Baharul Alam on Monday said that three specialised units of police will take to the fields to curb the mugging in Dhaka soon. He said this while speaking at a workshop on enforcement of laws at primary training centre in Rajshahi. The IGP said, "Snatching has increased at night. Robberies have also increased during the day. We have decided to take special measures from Saturday morning to prevent hijacking. Dhaka Metropolitan Police, RAB and Anti-Terrorism Unit will conduct a joint operation. Hopefully, it will be implemented from today. We'll see if it improves that way. If not, we'll have to move on to another plan.” Police arrest 3 suspected mugging gang members in Dhaka's Uttarkhan Alam said they launched the ‘Operation Devil Hunt’ a few days back and it remains continued against those anti-social activists, commit terrorism and those arrested during the operation are kingpin terrorists, smugglers. Sensing political motive behind the unrest in the county, the IGP said a section does not want stability in the country.

Police have arrested two alleged muggers and recovered valuables stolen from an Italian citizen just 12 hours after the crime in Dhaka. The suspects, identified as Khorshed Alam, 28, and Shahin Mia, 22, were apprehended in separate raids, police said on Monday. According to Deputy Commissioner (Media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Talebur Rahman, the crime took place early Sunday in Dhaka’s Turag area. The victim, Tania Mohammad Sheikh Nur, an Italian citizen, arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 4:01 am. She then booked a ride through Uber and headed for a hostel in Sector 19, Uttara East. Dhaka District AL Leader Saku arrested from Paltan However, instead of taking her to her destination, the motorbike rider diverted to a bridge near Sector 15 of the Metro Rail. There, her Italian passport, iPhone 13, MacBook charger, Italian identification card, bank card, books, and €50 in cash were looted. Following the mugging, Tania filed a general diary (GD) at Turag Police Station. Reviewing CCTV footage and using technology, investigators identified Uber driver Khorshed Alam as a suspect. He was arrested at Pakuria Hasu Bottala at 5:15 am on Sunday. Based on Khorshed's confession, police later arrested Shahin Mia from a residence in Pakuria at 11:15 pm the same day. Samrat, his associate indicted; face arrest warrant During preliminary interrogation, police discovered that the suspects were part of an organized mugging syndicate. They allegedly posed as motorbike drivers to lure passengers, take them to secluded locations, and rob them of their valuables. Police have recovered the stolen items and are continuing their investigation.  

A young man was stabbed to death allegedly by muggers at Bijoynagar in Dhaka’s Paltan area early Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Saju Molla, 22, son of Motaleb Molla of Mugda area. Inspector Faruk, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police camp, said Saju used to work as a driver of a private car in Bijoynagar area. After finishing his duty, when Saju was passing through a lane around 2:45 am, a group of muggers waylaid him and tried to snatch away money bag and mobile phone set from him. BNP leader stabbed to death in Naogaon Being resisted, the muggers stabbed him indiscriminately, leaving him injured. He was taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where the doctors declared him dead.    

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested five people who operates teen gangs from Dhaka’s Mohammadpur area on Friday (February 09, 2024). The arrestees were identified as Zulfiker Ali, 37,a ringleader of the operator of teen gang of Jamalpur,  Harun-or Rashid, 38 of Mymensingh,  Shamsuddin Bepari, 48 of Bhola, Krishna Chandra Das, 28 of Munshiganj and Suruj Mia, 30 of Mymensingh districts. Tipped off, a team of Rab-3 conducted a drive in Mohammadia Housing Society and arrested the five people including ringleader Zulfiker who operate two teen gangs ‘Diamond’ and ‘De Dhakka’, on Friday night, said Azhar Hossain, assistant superintendent of police. Read: Subarnachar gang rape: Another accused arrested The elite force also seized one foreign made pistol, one magazine, two sharp weapons and seven knives from the possession. After primary interrogation, police came to know that they had long been involved in engaging drug addicts or teens in different criminal activities including arms and drug business, mugging, extortion, abduction, robbery and land occupation after alluring them of giving money, said Azhar. The teen members of Zulfiker’s gangs were involved in mugging. Read: 2 more arrested over rape on JU campus 

Muggers took away an Italian citizen’s handbag when she along with two others were passing through the SS Khaled Road in Chattogram city on Tuesday night. Chattogram-12: Two police officers withdrawn for alleged links to independent candidate The Italian national, a photographer named Cristina Jemma, along with two others were walking towards Jamal Khan from Shilpakala Academy around 10:45 pm. At one stage, muggers, in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw, snatched her bag and fled the scene. Chattogram-3: Independent candidate's supporter show-caused for statement undermining election According to Cristina, she withdrew Tk 30,000 from an ATM booth and there were other valuables including a mobile phone and camera in the bag. Police are trying to arrest the muggers. Local AL leader arrested with firearm in Chattogram

Muggers snatched away Tk 2.5 lakh after killing a cattle trader at Shahpara in Sadar upazila on Wednesday night, victim’s family says. The deceased was identified as Abdur Razzak, 55, son of Nasir Uddin of the area. Quoting family members, Nur Zahid Sarkar, Sub-inspector of Sadar Police Station, said Razzak went to Choumuhoni Bazar to sell cattle. After selling cattle at the local bazaar, he offered Isha prayer at a mosque near the bazar. At 9 pm, a group of muggers attacked Razzak, about 100 metres away from his house, while he was returning. Also read: 31 members of mugging gang arrested in capital: Rab They stabbed Razzak indiscriminately and snatched away Tk 2.5 lakh, leaving him dead. On information, police recovered the body and sent it to the local hospital morgue for autopsy.    

Crime Reporters Association of Bangladesh (CRAB) on Monday expressed its deep concern over several members becoming victims of mugging in the capital and its outskirts recently. Also read: Prime accused among 4 held over mugging of DU student after abduction Sirajul Islam, member of the Executive Committee of the CRAB and senior reporter of vernacular daily Jugantor, and Iqbal Hasan Farid, member of CRAB and crime reporter of the same daily, were mugged recently in separate incidents. The muggers snatched away their mobile phones and valuables but no one involved in the incident has yet been arrested by police. Also read: 44 mugging, dope gang members held in Dhaka: Rab In a statement on Monday, Mirza Mehdi Tamal and Asaduzzaman Biku, president and general secretary respectively of CRAB, along with the leaders of the executive committee called upon the law enforcement agencies to quickly arrest those involved in the mugging incident. Besides, the leaders requested the police to be more careful for the safety of journalists.

Detectives in a drive arrested four people including the prime accused in a case over snatching belongings of a 3rd year student of Dhaka University after abduction, said police on Sunday. The accused were prime accused Shakil Ahmed Rubel, 28, Akash Sheikh, 22, Delwar Hossain, 55 and Habibur Rahman. Police also seized two pistols, two bullets, one magazine, one wireless set, two motorbikes with police sticker and six mobile phone sets from their possession. Tipped off, a team of DB police conducted simultaneous drives in different parts of the city and arrested them, said Additional Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Harun-or-Rashid. Read: DB arrests suspected drug dealer in city “Shakil was involved in 1500 mugging incidents. He used to tease girls and the female students of universities and colleges in the guise of police personnel,” said Additional Commissioner Harun. Shakil used to carry out criminal activities by living in a rented hotel room. Earlier on August 25, Shakil, in the guise of police, intercepted a rickshaw carrying a DU female student in the city’s Kalyanpur area and forced the girl to go with him saying that she was carrying something illegal in her bag. He then took her to Diabari and snatched away gold ornaments after keeping her hostage at knife point. The DU student lodged a complaint with Turag Police

Police in Chattogram have found out that a bus driver and his associates arrested in a case of mugging were also involved in an attempt to rape a garment worker on their moving vehicle. The two identified as Md Gias Uddin Nayan, 21, and his associate Shimato Dutta, 22 have now been shown arrested in the attempted rape case filed by the woman. The driver and his associate were arrested from the Chandgaon area on Thursday night in a case filed at the Bandar police station over mugging a passenger. The incident took place on the same bus before the attempted rape, said Kishore Majumder, sub-inspector (SI) of Bandar police station. Also read: Rape-accused escapes from police custody in Gaibandha Mugging victim, Palash Kanti lodged a complaint at the police station the same day. He alleged that three alleged muggers posing as passengers of the bus stabbed him and took away Tk 10,000 in cash and two mobile phones. Later, the bus took him to the City Gate area and forcibly took his PIN number and withdrew Tk 40,800 from her bKash account and then to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), Cinema Palace junction and Bahaddarhat and the money was withdrawn from his bkash account in three phases. The bus dropped him off at the flyover in Lalkhan Bazar area around 3.30 pm. Then he lodged the complaint after receiving first aid, said the SI. SI Kishore said, "After scrutinizing the CCTV footage of the area including Nimtala, we found that a rape attempt was made on a garment worker on the same bus earlier." The 20-year-old garment worker got on the bus with 10-12 other workers to return home around 9pm on May 19. At Bahaddarhat area, when other workers got down, the bus started to move quickly with the lone female worker. At that time, the assistant was driving the bus and the driver tried to rape the girl. Also read: Fugitive PBI inspector suspended over Khulna college girl's rape Later, the woman jumped off of the moving bus to save herself and was seriously injured. According to police, the victim was rescued unconscious from Bakalia and admitted to CMCH. After being released from the hospital on May 25, the woman lodged a complaint at the city's Bakalia police station. Police later arrested bus driver Anwar Hossain Tipu and his associate Jony Das. The bus was also seized.

Three policemen were on Monday closed to the police lines in a punitive action after a trader complaint that he was mugged by them in Companiganj upazila of the district. The action was taken against assistant sub-inspector of Feni Model Police Station Zahirul Haque and two constables of Adarshagram police camp—Kawsar and Anwar Hossain, said assistant superintendent of police (Sonagazi circle), Mashqur Rahman. Sheikh Farid, a trader of Chotodhali village in Companiganj upazila, said three policemen riding a CNG-run auto-rickshaw waylaid him on his way home from business establishment around 12 am. Also read: 2 cops among 8 sued for murdering Bangladeshi-American in capital They snatched away Tk 48,600 from him, he said. As he demanded the money back, the policemen tried to pick him up threatening to implicate him as a Yaba trader, said Farid. When Farid raised hue and cry for help, local people caught them and handed them over to police. Sajedul Islam Palash, officer-in-charge of Sonagazi Model Police Station, however, denied that the trader was mugged by the cops. A probe body has formed to look into the matter and action will be taken after investigation, said ASP Mashqur. Also read: Cop, 3 others arrested for raping woman in Noakhali