Five people have been arrested over the killing of 70-year-old speech-impaired cleaner Bobi Begum at Methikanda Railway Station in Narsingdi, with the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) claiming the motive was to rob her of just Tk40,000 in hard-earned savings.
The arrestees were identified as Ilias, 35, Sakib, 19, Belal Mia, 26, Din Islam, 26, and Rifat, 20. They were arrested during separate drives in Narsingdi and Nabinagar upazila of Brahmanbaria on Thursday night and later handed over to Bhairab Railway Police Station.
Speaking at a press briefing at the RAB Media Center in Dhaka on Friday, RAB-11 Commanding Officer Lt Col Mohammad Masud Parvez said the suspects had targeted Bobi Begum after learning she had cash savings.
"They attacked her out of greed for her hard-earned savings of only Tk40,000, which ultimately led to her death," he said.
According to RAB, the suspects knew beforehand that Bobi Begum kept cash with her. During primary interrogation, they reportedly admitted to planning the robbery, attacking her late at night, looting the money, and fleeing the scene.
RAB said three suspects were arrested near Methikanda Railway Station, while two others were detained in the Notun Eidgah area of Kaitala South Union in Brahmanbaria's Nabinagar upazila with assistance from RAB-9.
The elite force said the suspects were identified through intelligence inputs, technological surveillance, crime scene analysis, eyewitness accounts, and follow-up operations.
Investigators also found that three of the five arrestees have previous drug-related cases and are drug addicts. RAB said it suspects the robbery was carried out to finance drug purchases, though the matter remains under investigation.
Lt Col Masud Parvez said investigators are examining whether anyone else was involved and that further arrests could follow if additional suspects are identified.
Bobi Begum was attacked late on July 4 while staying in an abandoned room at Methikanda Railway Station, where she worked as a cleaner. She sustained critical injuries and later died on July 8 while being taken to Narsingdi Sadar Hospital for advanced treatment. A murder case was subsequently filed with Bhairab Railway Police Station.