Over 'Tk3 crore looted' in attack on bKash agent’s car in Gazipur

A group of armed assailants allegedly looted more than Tk3 crore from a car carrying cash for a bKash agent company after intercepting the vehicle and attacking its occupants in Gazipur's Sreepur this evening (9 October).

The attack took place around 6:30pm in the Gajari forest area of Karnapur on the Sreepur-Gosinga regional road. The assailants arrived on 10-12 motorcycles, blocked the car and opened fire before fleeing with two sacks of cash, according to police and local sources.

The company's accounts manager, Mohammad Himel Ahmed, was shot in the abdomen. Credit manager Fahad Hossain, supervisor Rifat and driver Lal Mia also sustained injuries.

Senior district police officials and members of the Rapid Response Battalion visited the scene and collected evidence following the incident.

According to police and local sources, representatives of Bhaluka Channel Enterprise Sreepur Limited, a bKash agent company based at Mawna Chowrasta, had travelled to a distribution office in Narsingdi to collect cash,.

They collected the money after Friday prayers and began returning to Sreepur around 4:30pm with three sacks of cash.

When the car reached the Gajari forest area in Karnapur, the attackers surrounded and blocked it before smashing its windows and assaulting the occupants.

Rifat said the assailants broke the windows with machetes and fired indiscriminately during the robbery.

"Within one to two minutes, they broke the car windows with machetes, fired indiscriminately and, after a struggle, fled with two of the three sacks kept in the back of the car," he said.

According to driver Lal Mia, the three sacks contained Tk4 crore in total, of which more than Tk3 crore was in the two sacks taken by the attackers.

Himel, 29, was shot in the abdomen during the attack. Fahad, 35, suffered machete injuries, while Lal Mia, 32, was injured during a struggle with the assailants. Rifat, 30, was also among those attacked.

Himel is the son of Mohammad Jasim of Channapara in Sreepur municipality and works as an accounts manager in the company's Sreepur area.

Fahad is the son of Bulbul Ahmed of Beraiderchala in Sreepur municipality. Rifat works as a supervisor in the Sreepur-Mawna area and is the son of Mohammad Zaman.

Lal Mia, son of the late Falu Mia, lives in Keowa Paschim Khanda in Sreepur.

After the attackers left, Lal Mia became ill following the beating. Fahad then drove the car to Sreepur Upazila Health Complex, taking the wounded Himel for treatment.

Emergency department physician Anik Sarkar said Himel received initial treatment before being transferred to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital in Gazipur for advanced care. He is receiving treatment there.

Sreepur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Shahinur Alam said several police teams visited the scene soon after receiving information about the attack.

Police have launched an operation to identify those involved and recover the stolen money, he added.