Robbery in Naogaon: Trees used to block bus, microbus

A robbery took place in Panitala, Naogaon, where trees were felled on the road to obstruct vehicles. During the incident, passengers of a bus and a microbus were robbed of their money and belongings. The event occurred at approximately 11:45 pm on Saturday night on the Nazipur-Sapahar road, between the areas of Manashi and Karamjai.

Ratan Kumar Saha, the supervisor of the BRTC bus that became the victim to the robbery stated that their bus departed from Rajshahi for Nitpur in Porsha at around 8:45 pm. Upon reaching the location at approximately 11:45 pm, they noticed trees obstructing the road and slowed down.

At the same time, a microbus was also caught in the blockade. A group of masked individuals then broke the doors and windows, forcefully entering the bus. At gunpoint, they seized money, mobile phones, gold ornaments from female passengers and other valuables, amounting to approximately three lakh taka.

Ratan Kumar Saha also stated that the robbers also targeted the microbus positioned behind the bus. They assaulted the microbus driver, looted valuables and then fled from the spot.

Regarding the incident, Officer-in-Charge (OC) Enayetur Rahman of Patnitala Police Station stated that the bus caught in the robbery was carrying approximately 20 to 25 passengers. Additionally, a microbus was also attacked by the robbers at the same location.

The perpetrators shattered the windows of the microbus; however, they were unable to cause any harm to the passengers or drivers. A police patrol team was already in the vicinity, and upon receiving calls from the passengers, they promptly arrived at the scene. Due to the swift response of the police, the robbers were unable to inflict significant damage.

The OC further stated, “The road is actually very narrow. The BRTC bus was moving towards Sapahar. The roads were kept blocked by the robbers. A police vehicle was also positioned behind. The exact amount of valuables looted from the passengers will be determined upon investigation. The robbers fled before the police could reach the scene. We are conducting a thorough investigation and are hopeful that the members of the robbery gang will soon be brought to justice.”