Police say the suspects were preparing to rob a gold trader by posing as law enforcers
The Detective Branch (DB) of police on Sunday detained a seven-member inter-district robber gang, including two dismissed army personnel, while they were preparing for a robbery by posing as law enforcement officers in Sreenagar upazila of Munshiganj.

The detainees are Md Farhad Hossain, 40, of Shariatpur; Nadim Mahmud Shanto, alias Raihan Hossain, 30, dismissed soldier from Naogaon; Mizanur Rahman, 41, a dismissed sergeant from Rajbari; Abdul Alim, 32, of Barguna; Md Shakibur Zaman Mehedi, 26, of Magura; Mehedi Hasan Sujan, 35, of Bhola; and Abu Hanif, 32, a driver from Barguna, said Munshiganj Superintendent of Police Md Menhajul Alam at a press briefing.

They were detained this afternoon at a check post at Haribari Bridge on the Chhonbari-Singpara road.

Police recovered three vests with “Rab” written on them, two walkie-talkies, two toy pistols, handcuffs, one microbus, one motorcycle, two pairs of handcuffs, three fake Rab ID cards, three SS pipes, an electric shock device, a Chinese laser light, and a Rab sticker from the detainees.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) has been dissolved and replaced by a new specialised police unit called the Special Response Battalion (SRB).

He said, based on a tip-off, DB learned the gang was preparing to rob a gold trader, posing as law enforcement officials. Around 1:15pm, a silver microbus and a red motorcycle attempted to flee at high speed but were intercepted. One suspect, wearing a black vest with “Rab” written on it, flashed a walkie-talkie and claimed to be a law enforcement official before being challenged and detained.

During interrogation, the gang confessed to targeting passengers and traders along the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway using fake law enforcement identities. Multiple cases are pending against them nationwide.

The SP said preparations are underway to file a case against them.

They will be produced before a court tomorrow.

thedailystar