9 arrested, looted gold seized

Jewellery Robbery
Law enforcers arrested nine alleged robbers from different parts of the country yesterday and recovered 341 tolas of gold looted from New Heera Jewellers in the city’s Banani area on June 24.

They also seized a pistol, two machetes and two CNG-run auto-rickshaws used in the robbery.

Comilla Highway Police (east) authority suspended Sergeant Bulbul Faraeji of Bhaberchar Highway Police Outpost in Munshiganj. The cop captured one of the robbers at a check post near the outpost on June 28 and freed him after taking a portion of looted gold as bribe, officials of Detective Branch (DB) of police said.

Police recovered eight looted gold bangles from Bulbul’s possession.

A team of Rapid Action Battalion-8 yesterday recovered 221 tolas of looted gold jewellery of Heera Jewellers from Vepti village of Mathbaria upazila in Pirojpur, reports our Barisal correspondent.

The Rab team raided the houses of three siblings Yusuf Ali Mal, Yasin Ali Mal and Khadija Begum. They had the clue from a confessional statement of one arrestee Yahiya, according to Rab officials.

Members of Rab dug up the ground at different parts of their houses and recovered the jewellery concealed under the ground.

DB police said they arrested Yakub Mal alias Kalaiya, 28, and Chandu Karmokar, 58, from Porirkhal in Barguna, Amir Hossain Hamza, 55, from Bakerganj in Patuakhali and Mohammad Milon, 26, from Shewrapara in the capital. Chandu owns a jewellery shop in Barguna.

They recovered 50 tolas of gold from the arrestees’ possession.

Rab personnel yesterday arrested Jewel Mridha, 26, and Sagir, 26, Mohammad Kabir Hossain, 38, Farukh Sikder, 45, and Rokeya Begum, 55, from different parts in the capital in connection with the burglary, said Commander Sohail, director (media) of Rab headquarters, at a press briefing.

Of them, Sagir and Milon drove the auto-rickshaws. The law enforcers recovered 70 tolas of gold.

A gang of eight robbers in two auto rickshaws reached the spot and entered the shop on the ground floor of Iqbal Centre on Kamal Ataturk Avenue. The gang looted gold jewellery holding the staff at gunpoint, admitted the arrestees during a preliminary interrogation.

The gang was led by Yakub, also the main accused of looting another jewellery shop in Mirpur on March 9 last year.

He was arrested following the incident and later walked free on bail, DB Deputy Commissioner (North) Mahbubor Rahman told newsmen at a press briefing at its headquarters yesterday.

Yakub said they plotted to rob Heera Jewellers a month back and accordingly rented a house at Shewrapara of Mirpur.

They kept an eye on the outlet and finally managed to loot jewellery. It took just 15 minutes for them to rob and make escape, he mentioned.

After committing the burglary the ring went back to the rented house and shared the loot among themselves. Then they left the place and went into hiding, maintained Yakub.

Jewel Mridha said he went to Chittagong for hiding. While coming back to Dhaka on June 28, he was caught with gold at the highway police check post at Munshiganj.

The sergeant of the check post freed Jewel taking 17 looted gold bangles and some money.

Around five more robbery suspects with a firearm remain absconding, noted Mahbubor Rahman, DC (North) of DB.

Police, however, found no involvement of shop employees in the crime.

The shop owner filed a case with Gulshan Police Station that robbers looted 1166 tolas of gold from the outlet.

thedailystar

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