Police have arrested four people and recovered around 190 bhori of stolen gold, 93.5 grams of silver, and Tk 177,200 in cash following a theft at a gold shop inside Dhaka’s Fortune Shopping Mall earlier this month.
Md Shafiqul Islam, additional commissioner of the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), confirmed the arrests and recovery at a press briefing on Friday afternoon.
The arrestees are identified as Shahin Matubbar alias Sahid alias Shahin, 46; Anita Roy, 31; Md Nurul Islam, 33; and Uttam Chandra Sur, 49.
The robbery occurred on the night of 8 October, when the suspects broke into Shampa Jewellers, located inside the Fortune Shopping Mall in Malibagh, making off with nearly 500 bhori of gold jewellery.
Following the incident, a case was filed with Ramna Police Station. Immediately thereafter, a special team from the Detective Branch launched a shadow investigation, utilising intelligence and technological tools to identify those involved in the theft.
According to the Additional Commissioner, the accused had carefully planned the theft for three months and visited the place several times to gather information.
To facilitate the crime, they hid tools including hammers and crowbars beneath a tin shed behind the market days before the heist.
On the day of the theft, one suspect entered the market during the day and secretly set up a ‘U’-shaped loop of thread through the bathroom window grille, extending down to the ground. A burqa was also left inside the bathroom to conceal identities during the operation.
At around 1:30am, the group entered the market premises through the government housing quarters adjacent to the market.
Using the rope, they climbed onto the roof, cut through a bathroom grille, wore burqas, broke open the bathroom door, and entered the mall.
After looting the jewelry store, they escaped around 4:30 am using the same route. The suspects discarded their burqas and tools into the septic tank of the quarters.
On Thursday (16 October), Shahin Matubbar was arrested in Chattogram. During interrogation, he admitted his involvement. Acting on Shahin’s information, police recovered approximately 121.07 bhori of gold from the cowshed at his residence.
Later that day, Anita Roy, wife of another suspect, was arrested in East Harta village, Uzirpur, Barishal, with 52.81 bhori of gold in her possession. Early on Friday, Md Nurul Islam was apprehended in Siddhirganj, Narayanganj, with nearly 2 bhori of gold, a motorcycle, and Tk 177,200 in cash.
On the same day, Uttam Chandra Sur, who financed the operation and took part in reconnaissance, was arrested from his residence in Shakhari Bazar, Dhaka. Police recovered 13.67 bhori of gold and 93.5 grams of silver from him.
The police describe these arrests as a major breakthrough in dismantling a well-organised criminal gang specialising in jewelry thefts. Legal action has been initiated against the four accused, with further investigations ongoing.
