Purbachal’s 300 Feet Road has become a sought-after escape for city dwellers, a place to unwind over meals, and breathe in the open air.
By day, the place is inviting, with roadside restaurants and beautiful landscapes. But as night descends, so does fear as crimes lurk in the shadows—mugging, robbery, even murder.
In recent months, five bodies have been recovered, and many people have been targeted in robberies.
A recent visit to Purbachal exposed a landscape of vast emptiness, with development stalled due to delays in the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) New Town project.
The area remains eerily desolate with few residents and open spaces extending in all directions.
Recovered bodies
On the morning of January 6, police recovered the throat-slit body of 29-year-old dancer Rani Begum, along with the knife used in the murder, in the Gutiyabo area of Purbachal.
On December 17 last year, the body of 22-year-old college student Sujana was recovered from a lake near Bridge No 4 in Sector 2 of Purbachal.
The following day, December 18, her friend Kabya, a ninth-grade student, was also found dead in the same lake.
Initially, authorities suspected an accident, but Sujana’s mother, Champa Begum, and Kabya’s father, Harun-or-Rashid, believed it was a premeditated murder and demanded a thorough investigation.
Earlier on November 13 last year, police found the dismembered body of Narayanganj-based dyeing businessman Jasim Uddin, wrapped in polythene, in a lake near Kanchan Bridge on the western side of the 300 Feet road in Purbachal.
Few days later, on November 24, the body of Babul Mia, an auto-rickshaw driver from Gazipur’s Pubail area, was found in a paddy field in Purbachal’s Agla area.
Recent robberies
On January 7, in the early hours, a gang of robbers, posing as police officers, stopped the cars of Dubai expatriates Koyes and Ruhul Amin in the Kadirar Tek area of Purbachal’s 300 Feet road.
They robbed the duo of gold jewelry, cash, and goods worth Tk7 lakh under the pretense of a check.
That same night, another robbery took place in the Stadium area of the same road, where a gang posing as police officers stopped the car of Malaysian expatriate Amjad Hossain and looted goods worth Tk8 lakh.
On December 20 last year, Saudi Arabia expatriate Ahsan Habib was traveling to his hometown in Chandina, Comilla, when his car was stopped in the early hours at Purbachal’s Jalshiri area by individuals pretending to be members of the Ansar force.
After a fake check, they assaulted him and stole cash and gold jewelry, totaling around Tk3 lakh.
On September 2, the same year, in the dead of night, robbers broke into the house of expatriate Al Amin in Sector 8 of Purbachal, tied up the family, and looted cash and jewelry worth about Tk20 lakh.
Despite filing complaints in each case, the victims claim no progress has been made, and police have yet to arrest anyone or solve the cases.
What police say
Confirming the incidents, Senior Assistant Police Superintendent (G-Circle) of Narayanganj, Mehedi Islam, said: “Those involved in the murders of dancer Rani Begum, businessman Jasim Uddin, and auto-rickshaw driver Babul Mia have been arrested and sent to court.
“Regarding the deaths of Sujana and Kabya, it is suspected to be a road accident. However, we will be able to confirm once the post-mortem report is received.”
Purbachal New Town remains largely uninhabited, making it a prime location for criminals, he said, adding: “Nevertheless, law enforcement agencies, including the police, RAB, and the army, are actively working to address the issue. We are hopeful that the crime rate in the area will soon decrease.”
