‘It all happened in the blink of an eye’: Woman survives being dragged along moving car after mugging

On Saturday morning, Farhana Akhter Jahan set out to attend a training session. She stood by the road in the capital's Siddheshwari area when she fell victim to a shocking mugging incident. 

"Everything happened in the blink of an eye, before I could even grasp what was going on," Farhana said in conversation with The Business Standard yesterday, recounting the moment a mugger grabbed her bag from a moving car and violently dragged her along with it.

"In that moment, I thought I may not survive. But by the mercy of Allah, I made it out alive," she said.

Farhana is a teacher at a Gazipur college. She lives in Siddheshwari with her husband Mostafa Sarwar and their two daughters. 

Video of the incident went viral on social media sparking outrage from netizens raised concerns about public safety in broad daylight. From a nearby CCTV footage, she was seen standing on the road. A white car approached. Someone from the inside reached out and grabbed her bag. 

As the bag was pulled, she fell to the ground. The car did not stop, dragging her along with it.

Although she survived the incident, Farhana said it caused serious abrasions to her abdomen and legs. Despite her injuries, she continued attending her training. 

"I'm currently in training. The schedule is very tight. I have an upcoming exam, which is why I haven't been able to contact anyone. Right after the incident, I came straight to the training centre. I haven't been able to do anything else since," she said. 

Regarding legal steps, she said, "But why should I be the one to file the case? The government or police can do it of their own accord." 

"To retrieve my stolen items, I need to file a general diary, but due to being away, I haven't been able to do that yet. I'll file it after returning to Dhaka, probably by Wednesday."

Contacted, Assistant Police Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Ramna Division Abdullah Al Mamun told TBS, "The victim has not been able to file a case yet because she is out of town. 

"We are working on identifying the criminals. Once identified, we will file the case ourselves."

He added, "The perpetrators are quite cunning. The car involved did not have a licence plate."