A RAB team arrested seven members of a car theft gang early yesterday from Savar and uncovered information on how the thefts were carried out.
RAB 4 Commanding Officer Khandkar Lutful Kabir said after receiving a complaint from a Shahadat Hossain, Rab 4 started a shadow investigation of car thefts.
At one stage, four of the gang were arrested from in front of Khondoker Hossain Plaza of Amin Bazar with a stolen Toyota sedan around 1:10am yesterday, said Lutful Kabir, an additional deputy inspector general of the force.
Based on their information, the RAB team then arrested three more people from near the Hemayetpur kitchen market with another Toyota sedan around 4am, the CO said.
The car thieves reportedly launch their plan by renting the targetted car, then taking it to an area with little traffic before stealing it.
Sometimes, the gang kills the driver when stealing the car. After the robbery, they then sell the car to a stolen car buyer for Tk50,000. He in turn sells it to another such buyer for Tk55,000. Later, the gang calls the driver or owner of the car and demands money to get their car back.
The victim, Shahadat Hossain, said his car was stolen on May 30, after he rented it out to two members of the car-snatching gang. The thieves dropped off their own family members at Madaripur, before directing Shahadat to drive his car to Tongi.
After reaching Chhanbari in Munshiganj, they stabbed his hand and stole the vehicle at gunpoint, leaving the wounded Shahadat in an unconscious state by the road.
The arrestees are Md Jakir Hossain, 40, Mohammad Mohsin, 40, and Mohammad Rahman, 50, Mominur Rahman, 57, Mobatak Hossain, 40, Monir Hossain, 37, and Md Helal Hossain alias Belal, 52. Another accused in the case, Karim, 30, had absconded.
