Hannan, 2 others confess to stealing Tk 80 lakh from National Bank

Gang leader Hannan alias Briefcase Hannan today confessed to a magistrate that he along with five others looted Tk 80 lakh from National Bank on May 10.

The two other accused -- Hannan's wife Parveen and Mostafa Shahid--also gave confessional statements before the same magistrate.

The other accused are: Babul Mia, Md Sohel, Md Yusuf, Md Harun and Mostafa Shahid. Of them, Yusuf, Harun and Sohelare yet to be arrested.

Metropolitan Magistrate Md Eleas Meah recorded their confessional statements after Monirul Islam Mridha, sub-inspector of Detective Branch of Police and also the investigation officer of the case, produced them at his chamber.

After recording their statements, they were sent to Dhaka Central Jail in Keranigonj.

In his statement, Hannan said he along with five others went to the National Bank Limited's branch in the capital's Islampur to commit the crime on May 10.

They saw a microbus in front of the bank, into which a bank official was loading money collected from the bank, he said.

At one point, the official went inside the bank while the security guard and driver remained in the car. Hannan and his associates approached the guard and driver, and started talking to them, Hannan said.

At one stage, the driver also went inside the bank and with the security guard distracted, Hannan took the money from the car and went to the house of Harun at Armanitola, he said.

After two days, Hannan gave each of his four associates Tk 25,000 and gave Tk 2 lakh to Mostafa Shahid, he said.

Three to four days before their arrest, Hannan had kept Tk 60 lakh and a firearm with his wife Parveen at their Gendaria residence, he said..

He spent the rest of the money, Hannan added in his statement before the magistrate.

On June 3, another accused Babul Mia gave a confessional statement before the same magistrate.

On June 2, detectives arrested the four from different parts of the city in connection with a case filed with Kotwali Police Station over the theft of the money.