Investigators suspect that the apparent bank heist in Ashulia that killed eight people including an alleged robber was not merely an incident of robbery; rather, it was a planned attack by Jamaat-Shibir or militants to “create political anarchy and turbulence” in the country.
Along with regular police officials, teams of the Detective Branch of police and elite force Rapid Action Battalion are investigating the case.
They came up with the view after interrogating two detained robbers – Borhan Mridha, 35, and Saiful Islam, 25.
“In analysing details of the incident and the seized ammunition, we assume an organised group launched the attack with arms and ammunition to kill people,” police’s Deputy Inspector General of Dhaka range Mahfuzul Haque Nuruzzaman said.
Borhan was involved with Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student body of Jamaat-e-Islami. In a raid, police found books of Shibir at his house in Gazipur’s Chandra area.
Nuruzzaman, however, could not confirm whether there was any personal enmity of the robbers with any bank employee. “The robbers did not go to the vault despite having time. They did not even take money from the clients. The so-called robbers only took Tk6,87,000 from the cash.”
They threw and exploded some powerful grenades, which are not available in Bangladesh, apart from the armed forces, he said.
Based on this, the police official believes the incident might be a Jamaat-Shibir sabotage to create havoc in the county.
On Tuesday afternoon, a band of armed robbers stormed into a Kathgora Bazar branch of Bangladesh Commerce Bank in Ashulia, and killed seven people, including its manager, security official and a businessman, and looted money before shooting and bombing their way out. Locals then managed to get hold of two robbers. One of them was beaten to death while the other washanded over to police.
A top-ranking police official said after analysing previous attacks, “it seems the attack was carried out by banned militant outfit JMB.”
During interrogation, Saiful told the investigators they had planned the robbery during the Ijtema, in January.
“Saiful also gave police some major information about his accomplices, which will be helpful to trace the killers. His information also suggests it is an act of the JMB,” the official told the Dhaka Tribune seeking anonymity.
Locals at Chandra say Borhan, hailing from Kashiyani of Gopalganj, was a transport businessman and living in the area for the last few years. He has been living in a rented house with his wife and a three-year-old daughter. They could not say anything about his Chhatra Shibir connection.
The landlady said the family of Borhan was introverted.
Meanwhile, Chhatra Shibir in a statement termed the police statement a sheer lie.
Two cases have been filed in connection with the incident. Bank official Faridul Islam filed the robbery and murder case with Ashulia police against eight to ten unidentified robbers and the two detainees.
Police filed the other case against nearly 300 unidentified people for beating one of the alleged robbers.
Meanwhile, at least 17 people were undergoing treatment at Enam Medical College Hospital in Savar. Of these, 10 were being treated at the intensive care unit.
The hospital’s physician Abdullah Al Mamun said six of them were injured by bullets and in stabbings, while the others were injured by splinters.
One of the injured, former BGB lance naik Yakub Ali, 72, was kept on life support. The legs of two others – local traders Shahidul Islam and Yakub Ali – were amputated.
Locals demonstrated at the hospital yesterday following the deaths of their fellow traders.
Several hundred traders formed a human chain at Kathgora Bazar and brought out a procession after shutting their business outlets for the day.
Md Khokon, a local grocer, said the police members had reached the spot much later even though a check post was only several hundred metres away from the bank.
The seven dead bodies were handed over to their families after post mortem examination at Dhaka Medical College.
Slain bank manager Waliullah’s wife Mahmuda Mehzabin said he had just received his letter of promotion he had been longing for – elevation to senior executive.