Chattogram police have arrested six individuals, including a former police Sub-Inspector (SI), in connection with the robbery of 350 bhori (approximately 12 kg) of gold.
During the drive the law enforcers also recovered 290 bhori (about 10.5 kg) of the stolen gold along with the motorcycle used in the crime.
The arrestees include former police SI Suman Chandra Das, 42; Panna Rani Das alias Dipali Rani Das, 38, wife of Suman; Mohammad Masud Rana alias Bike Babu, 30; Rofikul Islam alias Imon, 22; Rabi Kumar Das, 40, and Bibek Banik, 42.
The robbery occurred on 4 January, when the victims Shobuj Debnath, Bibhash Roy, and Pintu Dhar were traveling by auto-rickshaw from the Kotwali area to the Oxygen area of Bayazid Bostami.
When the rickshaw reached the Atura depot area of Panchlaish, four armed assailants on two motorcycles stopped the vehicle.
The robbers, claiming to be officers from the Detective Branch (DB), threatened the victims with pistols and knives, before forcibly taking 35 gold bars (350 bhori), three mobile phones, and cash.
The victims had concealed the gold bars inside their sneakers, with Shobuj Debnath and Pintu Dhar each carrying 11 bars, and Bibhash Roy carrying 13.
According to police, the gold belonged to Krishna Karmakar, the owner of Jayram Traders in the Hazari Goli area of Kotwali, and was being transported to Dhaka.
Following the incident, an investigation was launched by a joint team from Panchlaish Model Police Station and Chittagong Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch (DB-North).
On 8 January, three of the primary suspects, including Suman Chandra Das, Masud Rana, and Rofikul Islam, were apprehended in Kashimpur area of Gazipur. Police also recovered the Suzuki Gixxer motorcycle used in the robbery from their possession.
During questioning, Suman Chandra Das, the former police officer, confessed to planning the robbery. Acting on his information, police arrested Rabi Kumar in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur area and Panna Rani in Chittagong’s Halishahar on the same day.
Additionally, Bibek Banik, identified as a key informant, was arrested in the Kotwali area after police analyzed mobile phone data.
On 9 January, authorities recovered 29 gold bars from a house near Baisakhi playground in Mohammadpur, Dhaka. The total recovered gold weighs approximately 290 bhori, with a market value of Tk5.8 crore.
Police officials stated that the investigation is ongoing, with efforts to apprehend other suspects and recover the remaining stolen items.
According to Habibur Rahman, deputy police commissioner (DB-North), authorities are committed to bringing all individuals involved in the crime to justice.
This arrest marks a significant development in the investigation of a robbery that had sparked widespread concern in the city earlier this month.
