Tk 1.08Cr heist: Police yet to ID suspects, hint at inside job

Police have yet to identify or arrest any of the suspects involved in Saturday's daring robbery in Dhaka's Uttara, where criminals disguised as Rab personnel snatched Tk 1.08 crore from a Nagad representative.

The heist took place around 8:00am near roads 12 and 13 in Uttara Sector 13. The suspects in a microbus intercepted two motorcycles transporting Nagad staff and fled with the cash.

When one of the motorcyclists was trying to escape, the criminals chased him down, forced him into the microbus, and made off with the cash.

Despite reviewing CCTV footage and deploying multiple intelligence and detective teams, police yesterday said that they were yet to trace the suspects or recover the money.

Md Mahidul Islam, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Uttara Division, told The Daily Star today, "We're following several leads, including possible internal conflicts or irregularities within the organisation [Nagad]. We have interrogated Nagad staffers and asked them not to leave the stations until the end of investigation."

Regarding the incident, he said that the CCTV footage points to a well-planned operation.

Mahidul Islam said that multiple detective teams, including cyber and surveillance units, are working to identify the suspects and determine how they obtained Rab uniforms and had detailed knowledge of Nagad's cash distribution process.

Abdur Rahman, a local distributor for Nagad, filed a case on Saturday night with Uttara West Police Station, accusing 8–10 unidentified people over the robbery.

Nine individuals -- including the Nagad distributor, two managers, a salesman, and a security guard -- have already been questioned.

"Preliminary evidence suggests that the robbers had prior knowledge of the cash transport. It is possible that an [Nagad] employee passed on this information," said a police official involved in the investigation.

Zahidul Islam Sajal, vice-president and head of media and communications at Nagad, said, "We are relying on police investigation."

Regarding reports of crimes committed by individuals donning Rab uniforms, Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Sunday said, "We are very concerned about the recent incident. We are making every effort to bring those involved to justice as quickly as possible."