The instant reaction of a clothe trader saved his Tk 42 lakh from being taken by muggers in the city's Gulistan area yesterday afternoon.

Trader Mamun was going to Paltan from Islampur on a rickshaw with Tk 42 lakh in a school bag around 4:15pm.

When he reached near Gulistan intersection, two motorbikes from opposite direction ambushed him. One of the pillions of a bike snatched the bag and the muggers were fleeing.

However, Mamun quickly got down and managed to kick the rear of the bike, police said. The bike took a tumble and the muggers' bid to escape with the bag failed.

Locals caught Faruk, who had taken the bag, but his cohort, who was riding the bike, managed to escape the scene leaving the bike behind, said Abul Hasan,

officer-in-charge of Shahbagh Police Station.

The other two muggers on the other bike also escaped, the OC told The Daily Star, adding that they were trying to arrest the three.

Quoting Mamun, who has a clothe business in Paltan, the OC said Mamun had taken the money from a trader in Islampur for business purposes.