A gang of five to six masked miscreants armed with local weapons robbed passengers after blocking a secluded road by placing tree branches in Mirpur upazila of Kushtia.
The robbers snatched gold jewellery from four women heading towards a Puja mandap in a van, as well as smart phones, cash, and other belongings from passengers of a CNG-run auto-rickshaw.
The incident took place at around 9:45pm on Tuesday, in the area adjacent to Kalitala Bishinta field under Chhatian union of the upazila.
According to local and police sources, the group of masked men positioned themselves on the deserted road with local weapons after placing tree branches to obstruct traffic.
A youth riding a motorcycle managed to escape tactfully from the scene and alerted people gathered at a nearby intersection. Upon receiving the news, local residents rushed to the spot.
In the meantime, the four women travelling in the van fell victim to the robbers, who robbed them of their gold jewellery.
The miscreants subsequently intercepted a CNG-run auto-rickshaw passing along the route and looted smart phones, cash, and other belongings from its passengers.
The miscreants fled the scene sensing the presence of locals.
Uzzal Hossain, member of Ward 2 of Chhatian Union Parishad, said local residents rushed to the location upon receiving the news, and police also arrived later, but the robbers had already escaped.
He added that the names and identities of the victims could not be ascertained immediately as they were from outside the local area.
Shahidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Mirpur Police Station, said an attempt of robbery was made by placing tree branches on the road, and members of the robber gang fled before locals and police reached the spot.
