Ex-cop among five held over Tk 1cr heist

Detectives of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, along with Uttara Division officials, in separate drives on Wednesday, arrested five members of a robbery gang, led by a dismissed policeman and a retired army sergeant, who posed as Rab personnel to rob four people in Uttara.

Law enforcers also recovered Tk 22.10 lakh in cash, Tk 12 lakh deposited in a bank account, and the microbus used in the heist.

The gang looted over Tk 1 crore from the victims, said Mohidul Islam, deputy commissioner (Uttara Division), at a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre yesterday.

The arrestees are Hasan, 35, the microbus driver; Golam Mostofa alias Shahin, 50, a dismissed policeman and the ringleader; Sheikh Md Jalal Uddin alias Rabiul, 43, a retired army sergeant; Imdadul Sharif, 28; and Saiful Islam alias Shipon, 27.

DC Mohidul said the robbery occurred on the morning of June 14, when Nagad distributor Abdul Khalek Nayon left his Uttara residence with three associates, carrying Tk 1.08 crore in four bags on two motorcycles.

As they reached the junction of Roads 12 and 13, a black Hiace microbus intercepted them. Six to seven masked men wearing black jackets marked "Rab" got out, brandishing weapons.

As the staffers attempted to flee with the money, the robbers chased them down, snatched the bags, and forcibly picked up three of them. The victims were blindfolded and beaten inside the microbus. Nayon managed to escape.

The robbers later dropped the three staffers in the Sector-17 area of Turag after robbing their mobile phones and two company phones.

Nayon filed a case with Uttara West Police Station the following day. Investigators then scanned CCTV footage and other evidence to identify the microbus.

Driver Hasan was arrested from Khilgaon early Wednesday. During primary interrogation, he disclosed the vehicle's location, and police recovered it from a garage in Madartek.

Later, a DB team arrested Shahin from Uttara and recovered Tk 13.34 lakh. Based on his statement, Imdadul was arrested from Adabar with Tk 8.04 lakh, and Jalal Uddin from Sabujbagh with Tk 63,000.

On the day of the robbery, Jalal posed as "Captain Jalal" and deposited Tk 12 lakh into his personal bank account, the DC said.

Shipon was later arrested from the Airport Railway Station area.

Police also recovered fake Rab and police ID cards, batons, signal lights, a wallet bearing an army logo, cheque books, and mobile phones from the suspects' possession.

DC Mohidul said the gang has long been impersonating members of elite law enforcement agencies to commit such robberies.

"Legal proceedings are underway. Efforts to arrest other accomplices and recover the remaining stolen funds are ongoing," he added.