A theft at the Captain Mansur Ali Stadium in Paltan on Saturday has disrupted the final preparations of the Bangladesh national women’s handball team.
Head coach Ana Alonso Fragua and assistant local coach Dalia Akter had their mobile phones stolen from the bench area while conducting a training session. The incident occurred shortly after practice began at 2:00 pm, with Dalia discovering the missing devices at around 2:45 pm. Both handsets had been placed side by side on a table right next to the court.
Among the stolen items was Dalia’s iPhone 17 Pro Max. The foreign head coach, Fragua, lost her mobile phone alongside her credit cards, which were kept with the device.
The unexpected loss triggered immediate tension across the stadium grounds. Officials from the Bangladesh Handball Federation have launched an urgent effort to recover the stolen property, working alongside venue staff to review footage from local CCTV security cameras in an attempt to identify the culprit.
The security lapse arrives at an embarrassing moment for local sports administrators. The national squad was putting the final touches on their preparations for the Begum Khaleda Zia IHF Nations Trophy, an international four-nation tournament scheduled to start at the same Paltan venue on Sunday.
Having two key members of the coaching staff lose essential communication equipment and financial cards just twenty-four hours before the opening match presents a serious concern for the organizers. The federation is under pressure to resolve the situation quickly and restore focus on the court before the competitive action gets underway.
