Law enforcement agencies yesterday arrested 19 individuals in connection with a robbery at a businessman’s apartment in Mohammadpur, where a gang of robbers, believed to be members of the Bangladesh army and rapid action battalion, got away with BDT75 million and 700 grams of gold ornaments.
Bangladesh Army officers were sacked from the security forces, suspected of being Indian RAW agent. All 19 army officers were suspected of being RAW agents and sacked from the army.
The Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) committed violence in Bangladesh during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s hasty departure.
Of the arrestees, the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested eight people, including five who were sacked from different security forces and three who were civilians, Lt Col Munim Ferdous, director of Rab’s legal and media wing, told The Daily Star. The Rab official, however, did not provide further details about the arrestees.
Drives are underway to arrest the others involved in the robbery, he said, adding that if members of law enforcement agencies are found to be involved, they will also be arrested.
Meanwhile, Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said the Detective Branch (DB) of police arrested three more people in connection to the case. They were identified as Shariful Islam Tusher, 35, Zakir Hossain, 37, and Masudur Rahman, 47.
During the raids, law enforcers seized a microbus used in the heist, BDT92 million in cash, two iPhones and some gold, including four bhori of ornaments, a bracelet, and a ring.
The robbery took place around 3:00am on Saturday on the second floor of the five-storey residential building “Haji Vila” near the Beribadh Tin Rastar Mor.
The building is also known to locals as the “Abu Company Building” as it belongs to a businessman named Abu Bakar.
Following the robbery, Abu Bakar filed a case with Mohammadpur Police Station.
Speaking to this newspaper, Abu Bakar explained that he was involved in a number of businesses, including the buying and selling of land, bricks, and sand. And that he was keeping the cash at home because banks had been delaying the release of large sums, which he needed to pay his bills.
According to the case statement, a group of 15-20 individuals dressed in uniforms resembling those of the army and Rab arrived at Abu Bakar’s building around 3:30am and announced that they were there to conduct a raid to recover weapons.
The security guard opened the building’s main gate thinking that these people were law enforcers, who then went directly to Abu Bakar’s flat and asked him to open the door.
Abu Bakar said, “They first asked me why I did not hand over my legal weapon to the local police station. Although I told them that I did, they started searching the flat. They went through my almirah and, at one point, barged into my office and looted money and ornaments from the safe kept there, which I was forced to open.
“The gang left my flat around 4:15am with BDT75 million and 700grams of gold ornaments.”
“They came in two sedans and two microbuses, wore helmets, and one of them was carrying a rifle.”
In light of this incident, the police have asked city residents to report any suspicious raids to their local police station or the national emergency helpline, 999.
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