Moghbazar mugging victim files case after police intervention

The footage, which showed three muggers with machetes snatching a man's bag in broad daylight in Dhaka's Moghbazar, went viral on social media, sparking public outrage and calls for improved public security.

The muggers on a bike intercepted the youth named Abdullah and mugged him at the Greenway Lane of Moghbazar, police said.

Md Raju, officer-in-charge of Hatirjheel Police Station, said the incident happened about a week ago, but the victim did not inform the police immediately.

Police tracked down the victim and encouraged him to file a case, after the video spread on social media, he said.

Abdullah last night lodged a complaint with Hatirjheel Police Station last night, against three unidentified persons and police are trying to arrest the accused, he said.

Abdullah, a restaurant employee in Motijheel, lives near the area where the mugging occurred. On the day of the incident, he was heading to his village home in Cumilla. He told police that the muggers took his mobile phone worth Tk 10,000, Tk 14,000 in cash, and other valuables.

The CCTV footage shows the youth walking through a narrow alley with a bag slung over his shoulder. A motorbike with three riders was parked nearby. As Abdullah was about to pass them, two of the riders -- both armed with machetes -- suddenly confronted him.

One of them had a helmet, the other wore a mask. They attacked Abdullah with their weapons and snatched his bag. One of them also hit him with the blunt side of the machete.

As the assailants tried to flee on the motorbike, Abdullah held onto the front wheel of the motorcycle and pleaded them for his bag.

One of the muggers dismounted and attacked him again and chased him for yards. He was repeatedly assaulted before the attackers made away with the bag.