6 held over Gazipur RMG robbery, cash recovered

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members today arrested six suspected robbers on charges of looting Tk 3.41 crore from a garments factory in Gazipur.

A truck, firearms, sharp weapons and Tk 1.17crore were seized from them, Mufti Mahmud Khan, Director of Rab’s Legal and Media Wing, said in a briefing.

The arrestees were identified as Mahbubur Rahman, 51, Faruk Hasan, 50, Khalilur Rahman Rana, 40, Belayet Hosen Akand, 42, Iqbal Hosen Rubel, 37 and Ujjal Bishwash, 34.

They were all caught from different parts of the country.

On January 7, robbers broke into the vault of Knit Plus Garments in Kaliakoir and carried out the heist.

ROBBERY POSING AS SECURITY GUARDS

Two of the arrestees -- Mahbubur Rahman and Faruk Hossain -- joined the company posing as security guards and introduced themselves as Abdul Khaleq and Alam Shikder.

As part of the plan, the duo provided fake IDs, address and information to the security company concerned. They were then placed at the garments factory, Knit Plus on December 12.

On the night of January 7, six guards including Mahbubur Rahman and Faruk Hossain were on duty. Mahbubur and Faruk then offered sedated biscuits and water to the other four guards.

After the four guards passed out, the duo brought in other three of their gang who were waiting outside. The three were in masks, as it appeared on the CCTV footage.

They then broke open the vault of the garment factory. The money was split between the six before they left the spot.

“The money in the vault was for paying wages to the workers,” said Khondaker Jubayer, Assistant Manager, (HR and compliance) of the Garments Factory.