A robbery reportedly took place on a moving bus in the C&B area of the Dhaka-Aricha highway in Savar on Monday night, where passengers were held hostage at knifepoint by a gang of robbers.
The criminals looted several mobile phones, an LED TV, and cash.
The incident occurred around 8pm on a Shuvojatra Paribahan bus, shortly after it left Radio Colony.
The robbers boarded the bus, brandished local weapons and knives, and intimidated the passengers.
They looted around 20 mobile phones, an LED TV, and cash before getting off near the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC).
According to passengers, about five individuals boarded the bus in the Radio Colony area.
When the bus reached the C&B area, they held a knife to the driver’s throat, took out their weapons, and robbed passengers of their mobile phones and cash.
At one point, the driver turned off the interior lights, causing panic among the passengers.
Later, when the bus reached Jahangirnagar University, students from the university, who were on board, brought the bus to the campus.
They detained the driver and his assistant as the driver failed to provide a reasonable explanation for turning off the lights.
Regarding the incident, Md Abdul Hakim, a student of the Urban and Regional Planning Department at Jahangirnagar University and a passenger on the bus, said: "I was returning to campus from an iftar party in Savar. As we reached the BPATC area, the bus we were in stopped, and several robbers, armed with large knives and weapons, boarded.
"In the blink of an eye, they looted everything from some passengers at the front of the bus. One passenger in the middle section was stabbed, and a significant amount of money was taken from him. Suspecting the involvement of the transport staff, we brought the bus, along with the driver and helper, to the campus."
When asked why he turned off the lights, the bus driver said: "I did not intentionally turn off the lights. At that moment, the switch was accidentally pressed, and the lights went off."
Regarding the incident, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Savar highway police station, Saugatul Alam, said: "We have seen some footage and images related to this on social media and from a few individuals. However, no victims have come forward to file a complaint yet. We are investigating the matter further."
