AR Hossain, a Dubai expatriate, was returning home from Dhaka. A fellow passenger sitting next to him on the bus struck up a conversation and offered him some juice.
Trusting him and totally unsuspecting, Hossain drank the juice. He soon lost consciousness, after which the man stole his wallet, mobile phone, and gold jewellery.
The incident took place on Wednesday evening on an Ekota Paribahan bus traveling from Dhaka to Naogaon.
The victim, AR Hossain, is from Kundagram in the Adamdighi upazila of Bogura district. After arriving in Dhaka from Dubai, he was on his way back to his village home. The person sitting next to him on the bus was identified as Arman Hossain, a member of an "ogyan party" (group known for drugging and robbing passengers).
According to eyewitnesses and bus staff, AR Hossain arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday morning from Dubai. Around 11 am, he boarded an Ekota Paribahan bus from Uttara to travel to his village home in Kundagram, Adamdighi upazila.
During the journey, he started chatting with the passenger seated next to him—Arman Hossain. Before reaching Sherpur in Bogura, Arman took out a bottle and offered him some juice. After drinking it, Hossain lost consciousness.
AR Hossain said, “I was supposed to get off at the Choumuhani intersection on the Bogura-Naogaon highway. But since I was unconscious, I ended up at the final stop of the bus—Naogaon bus stand. After arriving there, the passenger beside me and the bus supervisor helped me off the bus and splashed water on my face to wake me up. As soon as I regained consciousness, I caught the passenger sitting next to me. With the help of other passengers, I was able to recover my stolen money, mobile phone, and gold jewellery from him. His intention was also to steal my bag from the bus locker, which contained other valuables.”
Nur-e-Alam Siddiqui, Officer-in-Charge of Naogaon Sadar Police Station, said that a suspect has been detained on suspicion of being a member of a drugging and robbery gang (“ogyan party”). Legal proceedings are underway. Arman is from Narsingdi district.