Man held over robbery, rape in moving bus put on 5-day remand

Raja Mia, who was arrested in connection with the robbery and rape in a moving bus in Tangail, has been placed on a five-day remand.

Tangail Senior Judicial Magistrate Badal Kumar Chand on Thursday (4 August) granted the remand following a hearing after police produced him before the court with a seven-day remand petition, said Public Prosecutor Tanveer Ahmed.

Earlier on Thursday morning, detective police arrested Raja Mia from his house in the Deola area of ​​the city.

Investigating Officer Murad Hossain said Raja Mia admitted to his involvement in the robbery and disclosed names of his accomplices.

Two sticks, a pair of scissors and three mobile phones stolen from the passengers were recovered from the arrestee's possession.

Raja Mia, son of Harun ur Rashid of Balla village of Kalihati upazila, is a bus driver himself, according to police.

After taking control of the car from the driver of Eagle Transport, Raja Mia drove the car himself throughout the heist.

The rape victim said that the robbers blindfolded and tied the passengers' hands and faces one by one. They even tied up the children in the same way.

"After looting everyone, they brutally tortured the female passengers. The woman sitting next to the robber was raped four times," she added.

"We could not do anything because we were blindfolded and our hands and faces were tied," said the woman.

Another passenger, Shilpi Begum of Taragunia village of Daulatpur police station area, said, "I was taking my daughter to Dhaka for treatment. Our eyes, mouths and hands were tied up by the robbers who looted us. My husband was stabbed in the hand with a knife. They took Tk30,000 from us."

Tangail Senior Judicial Magistrate Rumi Khatun recorded the rape victim's statement.

She was produced in the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Badal Kumar Chander who ordered her to be sent to Tangail General Hospital for treatment.

The robbery

The bus of "Eagle Paribahan," with 24-25 passengers on board, was on its way to Chattogram from Kushtia late on Tuesday night when the crime occurred.

A group of robbers boarded the bus around 11pm on Tuesday after it resumed its journey following a stopover at a hotel in Sirajganj district. 

And some 5-10 minutes later, four more got into the bus, police said.

"Around 12am on Wednesday when the bus took the busy Dhaka-Tangail Highway in the Natiapara area, the robbers whiffed out guns, hijacked the vehicle and forced the driver to drive towards Madhupur upazila," the SP said.

On a desolate stretch, the armed gang robbed the commuters of cash, jewellery and mobile phones.

"The robbers then blindfolded the passengers and raped the woman commuter on board," the SP said.

The ordeal continued for over three hours till the seven criminals forced them to get off the bus and drove the heavy vehicle towards Raktipara's Jam-e-Mosque, where they abandoned it and fled with the loot, police said.

"The victim woman is being treated at Tangail General Hospital, and her initial medical test showed evidence of rape," the police official added.