How Dhanmondi robbery unfolded

Dhanmondi police have arrested six members of a gang involved in a robbery of nearly Tk37 lakh in Dhaka, where they impersonated the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).

On Wednesday, police arrested four people at the scene – Farhad Bin Mosharraf, 33, Yasin Hasan, 22, Mobashwer Ahmed, 23, and Wakil Mahmud, 26.

After further investigation, Dhanmondi police raided Hazaribagh yesterday and arrested two more suspects, Abdullah, 32, and Sumon, 29.

During a press briefing at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Media Centre, Deputy Commissioner (Media) Muhammad Talebur Rahman stated that a case was filed based on a complaint by Tauhidul Islam, the manager and nephew of the business owner. The case includes the arrested individuals, eight fugitives, and 10-12 unidentified suspects.

Police recovered several tools used in the robbery, including two black jackets with "RAB" written on them, three black caps also marked "RAB", a microbus, five mobile phones, a metal chisel, an old red wrench, and Tk45,100 in cash.

The robbers targeted the residence and business of MA Hannan Azad, owner of Alankar Niketan Jewelers. His building in Dhanmondi houses multiple offices, including SM Sourcing, a consultancy firm, and his own duplex apartment.

During the press briefing yesterday, police said around 4:40am on Wednesday, the robbers arrived in three microbuses and a car. Posing as RAB officers, they claimed to have a magistrate with them and demanded that the security guards open the gate, stating they were conducting an official raid. Some wore RAB-marked vests.

When the guards asked them to wait until morning, the robbers threatened, verbally abused them, and even climbed over the gate to forcibly open it. Once inside, they tied up the security guards, caretaker, and driver before breaking into the ground-floor office, assaulting a staff member, and looting Tk45,100.

They then moved to the third-floor office of SM Sourcing, broke in, and attacked three office assistants who rushed downstairs after hearing the commotion. The robbers forced them to hand over the keys and looted Tk22 lakh in cash from the drawers, also damaging office furniture.

On the fourth floor, they broke open a cupboard and stole another Tk13 lakh. They then moved to MA Hannan Azad's duplex apartment on the fifth and sixth floors, where they stole Tk1.5 lakh, gold earrings, and chains totalling 2.5 bhori (worth approximately Tk3.75 lakh). 

The robbers attempted to forcibly take Hannan Azad into their vehicle, but a Dhanmondi police patrol team arrived and thwarted their plan, rescuing him. As the robbers tried to flee, they attacked the police with metal tools, injuring several officers. With the help of local residents, police arrested four of them on the spot.