3 of a robber gang held

The Detective Branch (DB) of police has arrested three individuals from Chattogram and Khulna, in connection with a Tk 60 lakh robbery that took place in the capital's Bangshal area on April 26.

Tk 9.5 lakh of the robbed money was recovered from them, said DB Deputy Commissioner (Lalbagh Division) Mashiur Rahman at a press briefing at the DMP Media Center yesterday.

The arrestees are -- Khokon Das alias Baila Khokon, the ringleader of the gang; Rezaul Karim, the main organiser; and Kamal Hossain, who tracked the victim's movements.

On April 26, Mohiuddin, an employee of Ma Bullion and Silver Jewelers, was carrying Tk 60 lakh in a bag. Around 4:50pm, near the entrance of Naba Narayan Lane in Islampur, a person shoved him, falsely accusing him of causing the collision.

When Mohiuddin apologised and attempted to leave, a group of 7 to 8 people surrounded him, beating him severely and blinding him with a substance before making off with the bag of money.

Following the incident, Akidul Islam, the owner of the jewellery store, filed a robbery case on April 27. Earlier, the DMP's Kotwali police had arrested two other suspects in connection with the case.

"Baila Khokon, the mastermind, resides in Old Dhaka and has knowledge about local financial transactions. Rezaul Karim, who once operated a business in Old Dhaka, orchestrated the attack by assembling a team of robbers from various districts," said Mashiur.

The arrestees have multiple robbery and theft cases against them and are currently being interrogated under police remand, he added.