50-60 vehicles robbed on Cox's Bazar road in broad daylight, woman among 2 held

Masked armed robbers looted passengers of at least 50 to 60 vehicles on the Eidgaon-Eidgarh-Baishari road in Cox's Bazar on 19 October, taking cash, mobile phones and other valuables from more than 100 people.

The robberies took place in two phases at Himchhari Dhala, along a hilly stretch of the road through Eidgaon and Ramu upazilas. Most of the targeted vehicles were CNG-run auto-rickshaws and motorcycles.

Since the incident, police have conducted raids and detained two people, including a woman, as of yesterday evening. They also recovered looted valuables, including ornaments, firearms and locally made weapons.

According to victims, 10 to 12 masked men armed with firearms stopped vehicles, held passengers at gunpoint and took them into nearby forest areas, where they beat and robbed them.

A victim, Eidgarh resident Mohammad Tarek, told TBS that his mobile phone was stolen when robbers stopped the CNG-run auto-rickshaw he was travelling in with four others around 6:30am. He jumped from the moving vehicle to escape.

Another victim said he was travelling by motorcycle from Eidgaon Bazar to Eidgarh when the robbers stopped them at Himchhari Dhala.

For nearly two hours, the robbers intercepted passing traffic around noon, holding up and looting passengers from 50 to 60 auto-rickshaws and motorcycles before fleeing.

Abdul Hakim, an accountant at another NGO's Eidgarh branch, told TBS that robbers stopped the auto-rickshaw he was travelling in with two others, took them into the forest and beat them. They stole mobile phones, cash and other valuables from the passengers before fleeing into the forest.

Hakim said robberies and abductions for ransom were frequent along the road, but passengers lacked effective security measures.

Eidgaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge ATM Sifatul Mazdar said local criminals had blocked the road, robbed passengers and fled into the forest. Police teams were conducting operations to arrest them, while patrols had been intensified along the 17km road. 

The OC said two people, including a woman, had been detained as of today evening.

The two detainees are a mother and her son, the wife and son of Saber, the identified kingpin of the robbery gang.

Shifatul Mazdar said the detainees are being interrogated to identify and arrest others involved in the robbery. The police operation will continue until all those involved are arrested.