Gone in moments with Tk 25 lakh

Muggers shot a jewellery shop employee and snatched away Tk 25 lakh from him on a busy road in Old Dhaka yesterday.

A gang of four attacked Partha Saha of Saad Jewellers, as he came out of Islampur branch of Al-Arafah Islami Bank at 4:10pm, cashing a Tk 25-lakh cheque of the shop owner, said police.

One of the muggers shot Partha in the left leg, snatched his bag with the money and fled the scene immediately, Ahaduzzaman Mia, assistant commissioner of Kotwali Zone of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told The Daily Star quoting the victim.

The whole episode took place within moments in the crowded Tanti Bazar area where security has been beefed up for Durga Puja.

Several Puja Mandaps have been set up in the area, and law enforcers were only yards away at the time of the incident, said locals.

Asked, Abul Hassan, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station, said he and several other policemen rushed to the spot hearing the gunshot.

The muggers mingled with the crowd before anyone could realise what had actually happened, he said.

The OC said they collected footage of the CCTV cameras installed at the bank branch and nearby markets.

None was arrested as of 1:00am today.

Partha was under treatment at the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (Nitor).