Rab arrests 'gang of carjackers'

Rapid Action Battalion nabbed seven members of an alleged gang of carjackers including the leader in separate drives in Dhaka and Sylhet yesterday and on Friday.
The elite force also seized seven stolen cars and one motorcycle during the drives, Commander Mufti Mahmud Khan, Rab media wing director, told a press briefing at Rab headquarters in the capital yesterday.
The detained are Abdul Alim of Habiganj, the ringleader, Al Amin Islam Rubel, Jasim Uddin, Imam Hossain Shamim alias Shipon, Bachchu Miah, Shohag Miah, and Ajam Khan alias Raju.      
A team of Rab-2 arrested ringleader Alim in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area and seized two cars and a motorcycle around 9:00pm Friday. Following information extracted from Alim, the elite force seized two more cars and arrested Rubel and Jasim in Sylhet an hour later.
Later, Rab conducted two more drives in the capital's Mohammadpur and Tejgaon around 12:30am and 4:30am yesterday and arrested the remaining four. They seized three more cars from the arrestees.    
The gang had been stealing cars in the capital over the last seven years and selling those at a cheaper price mostly to rent-a-car owners in Sylhet, said the Rab official.   
The gang would target a car, and one of the members would follow the owner or driver, while the others steal it using a duplicate key, explained Mufti Mahmud Khan.     
Later, they call the owner and ask for money from the owner in exchange for the car. But, they have never returned any stolen car, he said.  
Using such a trick, the group on July 12 stole a car belonging to one Abdullah Al Mamun in Mirpur.   
They later phoned Mamun and asked him to send Tk 2 lakh through bKash to get his car back. However, instead of following the order, Mamun filed a complaint with Rab-2.
Based on Mamun's complaint, Rab conducted the drives and arrested the seven and seized the vehicles including Mamun's car.