Police scramble after victim recounts robbery, 'rape' on bus in Tangail
Multiple teams of Tangail Police are actively working to confirm the rape allegation
A woman recounted a horrifying robbery and "rape" aboard a bus on the Dhaka-Tangail highway, triggering a major police investigation.
According to police sources, multiple teams of Tangail Police are actively working to confirm the rape allegation.
Meanwhile, the Tangail Police's Detective Branch arrested three suspects in Savar, with two providing confessions in court.
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In an interview with Jamuna Television, the victim described boarding the bus and encountering robbers disguised in formal attires.
"They [robbers] were well dressed. No one could tell by looking at them that they were robbers," she said.
She stated that the robbers, dressed in suits and sunglasses, took control of the vehicle, armed with pistols and knives, and proceeded to rob passengers of their valuables.
She further claimed that "a Hindu woman was raped in front of her husband and brother," and that "many of the women had bite marks on their sensitive areas."
The robbers stole a substantial amount of money from various passengers before fleeing, said the woman.
"The case is still under investigation and police are trying to catch those involved in the incident," said investigating officer Md Ahsanuzzaman.
Tangail Superintendent of Police Md Mizanur Rahman said a separate team is investigating the rape based on the victim's account given to Jamuna Television.
The incident occurred on a bus travelling from Dhaka to Rajshahi, where passengers reported the robbery lasting several hours. After the robbery, the bus was returned to an area near where the robbers fled. Passengers initially faced 'incooperation' reporting the incident to the police, and a police duty officer was suspended for negligence.
Citing victims of the incident, several media reports said the Rajshahi-bound Unique Road Royals bus left Gabtoli at around 11:00pm on Monday night (17 February) with around 40 passengers. The robbery started at around 12:30am on Tuesday when the bus reached Mirzapur in Tangail.
The incident took place after the bus picked up some people from the road in the Chandra area of Gazipur.
One of the victims, Majnu Akand of Moukhara village in Natore's Baraigram, told the media that the robbers "molested the girls in the bus. The girls screamed in such a way that they felt that the robbers had harmed them."
