‘Make sure you look poor, needy’
It's an organised gang that mostly operates in government hospitals. It targets those that come for treatment from outside Dhaka, feed them sedatives, and loot their valuables as the victims fall unconscious.
Members of the gang first introduce themselves as locals and offer the victims help with their medical treatment.
For the next step, they cozy up to the victims with sincere offerings of help, like arranging government aid, funding from corporations or from zakat funds to bear medical costs.
The victims would then be asked to put all their money and other valuables inside a bag "to look poor and needy" -- which was explained as a requirement to obtain the aid money.
From there, the victims would then be taken to less crowded places and offered tea or juice, with sedatives mixed in. As soon as they drink it, the victims fall asleep or lose consciousness, which is when the gang members loot them and flee.
All of this was revealed after Cyber and Special Crime Division of police's Detective Branch (DB) arrested five gang members from Narayanganj in a special drive on Saturday.
The arrestees are ringleader Rubel Molla (32), Md Saiful (48), Abdur Rahman (50), Md Ismail (25), and Enayet Hossain (28).
Police also seized a cell phone, a pair of gold earrings and a silver chain from them.
Mohidul Islam, additional deputy commissioner (financial crime investigation) of Detective Branch's cyber and special crime division, told The Daily Star yesterday that the arrestees used to target patients and their attendants at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation.
Of the arrestees, Rubel used to build relationship with the victims, while Abdur, Ismail and Enayet scouted targets at hospitals and even bus, train or rail stations. Meanwhile, Saiful sold the looted valuables, said additional deputy commissioner Mohidul.
"The arrestees have been doing this for the last 3-4 years," he said.
Rubel, Ismail and Enayet already had cases filed against them, the investigators found.
A theft case was found registered against Rubel with Shahbagh Police Station; two cases -- over attempt to robbery and violating law and order -- were found against Ismail; while a narcotics case was filed against Enayet with Jatrabari Police Station.
Detectives said a rickshaw-puller named Azizul, who used to carry passengers to the hospitals, is another mainstay of the syndicate.
"We have obtained some information on Azizul, who is currently on the run. We are now conducting drives to arrest him," said Junaed Alam Sharker, ADC of cyber and special crime division of DB.
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