Robbers loot vehicle carrying expat, family

Robbers looted cash, mobile phones and other valuables on a microbus carrying an expatriate from Jordan and her relatives yesterday on Dhaka-Tangail highway in Tangail's Mirzapur upazila.

Following the robbery, police seized the microbus which had been abandoned by the gang while being chased by the police.

Sumaiya Akter, a passenger of the microbus, said her sister-in-law, Beauty Akter, is an expatriate who arrived from Jordan at Dhaka airport on Friday.

They rented a microbus from Tongi area. Beauty's sister, father, and their children were also in the vehicle.

"Around 2:30am, when our microbus reached Postkamuri Charpara on the highway, a gang of 7-8 armed robbers on a microbus came from behind and intercepted us. They looted everything from us at gunpoint," she said.

A patrol team of police chased the robbers, but the gang opened fire and managed to flee. Tuhin Miah, assistant to the wrecker driver of the highway police station, sustained a bullet injury to his hand during the incident.

Mohammad Rasedul Islam, officer-in-charge of Mirzapur Police Station, said the expatriate and her relatives were rescued and brought to the police station.

Injured Tuhin was admitted to Kumudini Hospital, he added.

Adibul Islam, additional superintendent of police (crime) in Tangail, said, "We are working on the case and hope to arrest the robbers soon."

Earlier, an oil-laden truck was hijacked on the same highway in Mirzapur on Friday. On May 21, a passenger bus of Al Imran Paribahan was robbed and female passengers were harassed. A similar incident occurred on February 17, when a Unique Royals passenger bus was robbed and female passengers were assaulted in Mirzapur.

Expressing concerns over safety and rising insecurity, both transport workers and commuters strongly demanded enhanced surveillance by law enforcers on the highway.