In a bizarre turn of events, a gang of robbers called National Emergency Service 999 seeking help from police to save them from possible mob beating.
The unusual incident took place at Payradanga village in Sadar upazila of Satkhira district.
In the early hours of Sunday, five thieves went to a fish enclosure in the village where they were caught red handed by local people.
The gang members are Saiful Islam, Mostakin Hossain, Mizanur Rahman, Hossain Babu, and Shaharul Islam.
Sensing danger and fearing the possible mob beating, they called 999 for police help, said Abu Zihad Fakhrul Alam Khan, officer-in-charge of Sadar police station.
Later, a team of police went to the spot and arrested the thieves, said the OC.
The enclosure owner Sariful said that they have the fish enclosure on five bighas land at the village.
A man named Abdullah, who is caretaker of an adjoining fish enclosure, saw the robbers catching fish in the early hours of Sunday and informed him over phone, said Sariful.
“Immediately we went there and tried to catch them, they pushed us and climbed onto the balcony of a neighboring house. Later they called the emergency service number 999. The police arrived shortly after the incident and took them to the police station,” he added.
A case was filed in this connection.
A similar incident took place in Barisal district town in the early hours of October 20.
Police received a call from a alleged thief who wanted to be “saved from a possible mob beating”, as he was stuck inside a shop in Barisal town.
