Armed robbers hijacked a passenger bus on the Tangail-Rangpur highway late Tuesday night, looting valuables and sexually harassing female passengers during a six-hour ordeal.
According to reporting by Prothom Alo, the Al Imran Paribahan bus departed from Abdullahpur, Dhaka, at around 8pm Tuesday, heading towards Rangpur. Assistant driver Atiqur Rahman stated that additional passengers boarded in Savar’s Narsinghpur, Bypail, and Ashulia, bringing the total to 45, including around 10 women.
After crossing Elenga in Kalihati Upazila, Tangail, near Jamuna Bridge’s eastern approach road, Witnesses reported that 8-10 armed men, wielding local weapons such as machetes and knives, took control of the vehicle after boarding disguised as passengers.
“They blindfolded everyone, including the driver, and turned the bus back toward Dhaka,” said helper Atiqur Rahman. Bus driver Abed Ali also confirmed the scene.
The robbers thoroughly searched each passenger, stealing mobile phones, cash, gold, and other valuables. They repeatedly drove the bus between Chandra-Ashulia and Tangail throughout the night before abandoning it near Shibpur on Tangail’s bypass road at around 5:30am.
Later, in the morning, Abed Ali drove the bus and passengers to Tangail Sadar Police Station.
“Though blindfolded, I heard women crying and pleading as their bodies were being searched,” said Jewel Mia, a passenger from Bogura. Another traveller, Akash Mia from Rangpur, described repeated physical searches where “they took everything we had.”
Tangail Police Superintendent Mizanur Rahman was seen interrogating the victims. “We are trying to identify the culprits,” said Acting OC Tanbir Ahmed, confirming an investigation is underway.
This follows similar robberies on the Tangail-Rangpur highway — including a February 17 bus hijacking with similar harassment allegations and an August 2022 case where a woman was raped aboard a Kushtia-bound bus.