Robbers who carried out a violent robbery and harassed female passengers on a moving Rajshahi-bound bus were found to be drug addicts.
They traded a looted mobile phone for marijuana, which eventually led police to track them down. Based on the drug dealer’s information, law enforcement arrested three members of the gang.
The suspects were heavily addicted to drugs and frequently engaged in robberies and other crimes in the Savar and Ashulia areas to fund their addiction, confirmed SI of the District Detective Police Ahsanuzzaman on Sunday afternoon.
The robbery took place on Monday midnight on a bus operated by Unique Road Royals (Amri Travels). The bus left Dhaka’s Gabtoli at 11:30am.
Around 12:30am, armed robbers took control of the vehicle, holding the passengers hostage for three hours while looting cash and valuables.
Female passengers were subjected to harassment during the ordeal.
Three days later, on Friday morning, passenger Omar Ali filed a case with Mirzapur Police Station.
Detective Branch (DB) Sub-Inspector Md Ahsanuzzaman, the case investigator, said that after analyzing technical data, he identified the robbers as being from the Savar-Ashulia region.
A confidential informant revealed that a group of drug addicts in the area frequently committed bus robberies, thefts, and muggings.
These criminals regularly bought marijuana and heroin from a local drug dealer, who was apprehended on Friday afternoon near a petrol pump on the Chandra-Nabinagar Road in Savar.
During interrogation, the 22-23-year-old drug dealer disclosed that he recently sold marijuana to suspects Shahidul, Sabuj, and Sharifuzzaman in exchange for a stolen mobile phone.
Using this lead, police tracked down Sabuj and Sharifuzzaman to an automobile garage in Savar’s Genda area, where they were arrested while sleeping.
Another gang member, Shahidul Islam, was later detained. All three confessed to their involvement in the robbery.
Shahidul Islam, also known as Mahidul or Muhit, son of Badar Uddin Sheikh, hails from Lautara village in Manikganj’s Daulatpur upazila, while Sabuj, son of Ismail Molla, is from Ramkrishnapur village in Shariatpur’s Zajira upazila. Sharifuzzaman, son of Abul Hossain, is a resident of Tangenda, Savar.
Shahidul has a history of criminal activities, with two previous bus robbery cases and three drug-related charges against him. The DB police have obtained a five-day remand for his interrogation.
Meanwhile, Sabuj and Sharifuzzaman gave confessional statements before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Tangail, revealing the identities of three more accomplices.
Investigator of the case Ahsanuzzaman clarified that no incidents of rape occurred during the robbery, though female passengers were subjected to harassment. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining culprits.
