Police have arrested three individuals in connection with a robbery at a church in Baridhara, where a priest was tied up and cash and valuables worth around Tk 2.5 lakh were stolen.
The arrested are Abul Hossain Ratan alias Habu, Mohammad Nizam alias Mizan, and Akhtar Hossain Mona alias Monir.
They were detained in separate drives conducted in different areas of Dhaka city and Ramgati char in Lakshmipur.
The information was confirmed on Friday at a press briefing at Bhatara Police Station by Deputy Commissioner (Gulshan Division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Md Tanvir Ahmed.
Police said the incident occurred around 2:30am on 28 April when two masked men scaled the boundary wall of the church and entered the premises.
The intruders first locked the staff quarters from outside before breaking into the office of the church by cutting the grill. They then tied up Father Subash Pulok Gomes and proceeded to loot the premises.
Cash amounting to Tk 2.5 lakh, a passport, a national identity card and other important documents were taken from an almirah, police said. The suspects later fled using a battery-run rickshaw with the help of an accomplice.
Following the incident, police collected CCTV footage from the area and traced suspicious movement of a battery-run rickshaw. Investigators then analysed data from thousands of rickshaws and drivers, leading to the identification and arrest of Akhtar Hossain Mona from Mugda area.
Police said Tk 1 lakh of the stolen money and the rickshaw used in the robbery were recovered from him. Based on his information, Mohammad Nizam was arrested from Ramgati char in Lakshmipur, with Tk 48,000 recovered.
The alleged mastermind, Abul Hossain Ratan, was later arrested from Amtala area in Khilkhet. Police recovered a passport, a national identity card and Tk 1 lakh from his possession.
DC Tanvir Ahmed said Ratan has eight previous cases filed against him in various police stations in Dhaka. Nizam faces a robbery case in Cumilla’s Lalmai, while Monir has a drug-related case in Chattogram’s Halishahar.
He added that the accused are believed to be involved in drug abuse and online gambling and carried out crimes to finance their activities. Legal action is underway against them.
