Two army men among four arrested during robbery preparations: Police
Four individuals, including two members of the Bangladesh Army, have been arrested from the capital’s Banani area while allegedly preparing to carry out a robbery.
According to the police, they arrested the four at night on Tuesday when they were taking preparations to rob in the Moghbazar area.
Rasel Sarwar, officer-in-charge (OC) of the Banani Police Station, told Prothom Alo that the group was in front of the Star Kabab restaurant on road No. 17 at Banani during their arrest. Three others, including two more army men, narrowly escaped arrest.
The OC also said they handed over the two army men to the military authorities, while the remaining two were remanded for three days following a court order.
In this regard, a source of the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) told Prothom Alo that actions are being taken against the two army men as per the military law.
Detailing the robbery attempt, OC Rasel Sarwar said a patrol team of the Banani police station noticed a crowd in front of the Star Kabab restaurant and arrested the four as suspects, while their three associates fled.
Among them is a journalist affiliated with a not-so-familiar media outlet. A camera and a professional identity card were recovered from the journalist, while military uniforms, shoes, and ID cards were seized from the army men. Also, a microbus, along with lock-picks, were seized from their possessions.
Earlier, a robbery took place in the residence and office of a businessman in the Beribadh area of Mohammadpur on 11 October last year.
The robbers, equipped with uniforms of Bangladesh Army and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), identified themselves as members of a joint security force before looting Tk 7.5 million and 70 bharis of gold, according to victim and police sources.
An investigation into the incident found involvement of a former army man – a lieutenant colonel who served in the RAB headquarters before being put on forced retirement in 2019. Some other non-commissioned security personnel were found to be involved in the incident.
It was then disclosed that the involved army personnel were handed over to the military authority upon their arrest.