8 killed in robbery attempt at Savar bank

Miscreants shot dead seven people, including the manager of Bangladesh Commerce Bank’s Kathgora branch in Ashulia on the outskirts of Dhaka, and injured 25 others during a broad daylight robbery at the bank this afternoon.

Angry locals caught two of the robbers – Raju and Mamun – and beat to death one of them. The other one was handed over to police.

The other dead victims have been identified as Wali Ullah, manager of the bank; Palash, a customer of the bank; Zillur Rahman, a workshop owner; Monir, a shop owner; and Badrul Alam, a security guard of the bank.

Bodies have been kept at Enam Medical College Hospital in Savar, reports our Savar correspondent.

In the latest development, two other injured succumbed to their bullet injuries at Enam Medical College Hospital.

Anowar Kader Nazim, director of the hospital, confirmed the deaths of businessmen Jamir Ali, 26, and Nur Mohammad, 45.

According to witnesses, several robbers took position beside the bank, housed on the first floor of the three-storey building, after 1:00pm.

When the officials were finishing their lunch, the robbers entered the bank separately in the guise of customers.

Once they were inside, the robbers took the bank staff hostage at gunpoint and pressed them for key of the vault. As they were delaying to give the key, the robbers started to beat up some staff.

Some gunshots were heard this time.

Sensing presence of the robbers inside, shop owners on the ground floor of the building went upstairs and tried to enter the bank.

The locals meantime made announcement on the robbery attempt from loudspeakers of a mosque nearby. Several thousand locals rushed to the bank with sticks and tried to lay siege to the building to capture the robbers.

Sensing danger, the robbers blasted several homemade bombs and fired in the air to scare away the locals.

Chasing them, locals managed to catch two robbers and beat them up severely. One of them died there while police took away the other one with them.

Twenty-five injured were rushed to the Enam Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared the bank manager, shop owner Monir, bank customer Palash, security guard Badrul and workshop owner Zillur dead.