Armed men rob cash, gold in daylight robbery on moving bus in Savar

A robbery took place in broad daylight on a moving passenger bus on the Dhaka-Aricha Highway in Savar today (4 April), where a group of armed men allegedly looted cash, mobile phones, and gold jewellery from passengers before fleeing the scene, police said.

The incident took place this afternoon near Bank Town Bridge area, targeting a Itihas Paribahan bus.

Victims reported that the robbers forced them to hand over their valuables at knifepoint before escaping in the Fulbaria area.

After the robbery, the bus driver and helper allegedly abandoned the vehicle and fled. Locals later detained the bus and handed it over to the Savar Model Police Station along with the driver and helper.

Confirming the matter, Savar Model Police Station Duty Officer Sub-Inspector (SI) Nazrul Islam said, "A victim named Tuni had already filed a written complaint. The driver and the helper are in our custody, and the OC will take further action after reviewing the matter."

Ripon Sarkar, one of the victims, told The Business Standard that he boarded the Itihas Paribahan bus from Chandra to Dhaka around 2:00pm. "Along the way, three individuals boarded the bus and instructed passengers to stay quiet at knifepoint. They robbed their [passengers] gold jewellery, cash, and mobile phones before fleeing in the Fulbaria area."

"Robbers forcibly took Tk35,000 from my pocket. Later, they ordered the driver to stop the bus. Shortly after, the driver and his helper also abandoned the bus and ran away," he added.

Abdul Mannan, director of Itihas Paribahan, said, "After learning about the robbery, I visited the location. There were more than 40 passengers on board, yet no one could resist the attack. We are preparing to file a case with Savar Model Police Station."

Attempts to contact the police station's Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Jewel Mia were unsuccessful.