Snatching of Tk 37 Lakh: BCL man 'admits involvement'

A Chhatra League man and a former leader of the student body have confessed to snatching Tk 37 lakh from two gold traders in the capital's Sutrapur nine days ago, according to court sources.

The two are Awlad Hossain, an activist of the organisation in Old Dhaka's Bangshal area, and Dewan Nasir Uddin alias Sohag, a former assistant secretary of Dhaka South city BCL, law enforcers and local sources say.

According to police, Sohag was suspended from the unit after he had been accused in a case over murdering Jubo League leader Rajib Hasan Khan.

Awlad gave confessional statement to Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Fahad Bin Amin Chowdhury on Monday and Sohag to Metropolitan Magistrate Kazi Kamrul Islam on February 21.

On February 19, Bidhan Chandra and his friend Bidhu Mitra came to the capital from Comilla to sell gold at Tanti Bazar.

After selling gold, they took a rickshaw to go to Rajdhani Market, said Bidhan.

As the rickshaw reached near Kunja Babu lane in Sutrapur around noon, about 14 to 15 people intercepted the three-wheeler and took the duo to Kazi Abdur Rouf Road.

Threatening the traders with weapons, the criminals snatched the money and mobile phones from them.

The money was shared out between the members of the mugging gang, police quoted arrestees as saying.

Bidhan on the same day filed a robbery case with Sutrapur Police Station.

Police arrested six people, including Awlad and Sohag, in connection with the incident and recovered around Tk 3 lakh from them.

The four other arrestees are Abul Hasan Mithu, Tarikul Islam Tagar, Maksud and Robin. All of them are from Sutrapur, Lakshibazar and Bangshal areas of the capital.

During interrogation by police, Sohag named several people, including Mithu, involved in the incident.

Mithu is a former organising secretary of the BCL's Bangshal unit, a local Chhatra League leader said wishing not to be named.

He said all the arrestees but Sohag are members of BCL.

Police later arrested Mithu and Robin and took the two on one-day remand each.

On February 23, law enforcers remanded Tarikul, Awlad and Maksud for two days each.

While investigating the case, police found some clues in the CCTV footage from the area.

Nazmul Hossain, sub-inspector of Sutrapur Police Station and also the investigation officer of the case, said the criminals in two groups took position in Tanti Bazar and Sutrapur areas on February 19.

As the traders reached near Sutrapur, the goons beat them up and took away the money and mobile phones from them.

Nazmul said they identified the criminals after analysing the CCTV footage.

Talking to The Daily Star, Bidhan said he recently started the business after working at a jeweller's shop for years.

“I never thought that I could be robbed in broad day light. I had borrowed money to do the business. How will I repay my loans?” he said.

Sohag's mother Nasima Begum said police picked up her son on the night of the incident.

Sohag had been behind bars for three months last year in a murder case. Later he walked out of jail on bail, she told this correspondent yesterday.

Locals said Sohag used to visit the Ward-42 Jubo League office at the DIT Market in Laxmi Bazar.

Visiting the office yesterday, this correspondent found its main entrance padlocked. Shakil, a caretaker of the office, said Sohag along with his friends used to visit the office.