Three alleged robbers have been arrested after a group attacked police with stones and damaged a police vehicle near a railway bridge in Bhairab, Kishoreganj. Two police officers, including the officer-in-charge of Bhairab Police Station, were injured in the incident.
The incident took place at around 5am on Thursday near Railway Bridge No. 29 in the Bhairabpur area of the town.
The three arrested men have been identified as Saim, 30, from Bhairabpur, Robin, 37, from Panchabati, and Rajib, from Jagannathpur. Police said they were detained following an operation launched after the attack.
According to police and witnesses, the incident followed reports of robbery in the area during the early hours of the morning. When police arrived at the location after receiving information about the alleged robbery, a group of people suddenly began throwing stones at them.
The attackers reportedly used stones taken from the railway track. Some of the stones struck the police vehicle, shattering its front windscreen. The officers were also targeted during the attack, leaving Bhairab Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Mahbubur Rahman and Sub-Inspector Ashik injured.
Witness Imtiaz Kajal, a leader of the Gono Odhikar Parishad, said he had gone out for a morning walk and reached the bus stand at around 4.30am. There, a passenger told him that robbers had taken Tk17,000 from him.
The passenger and several others were reportedly reluctant to travel towards the railway station because of concerns about further robberies. Kajal said he personally accompanied several passengers by rickshaw to help them reach the station safely.
While returning from the railway station, he saw several police officers near the railway bridge. He said he noticed that the front windscreen of the police vehicle had already been broken.
When he asked police officers what had happened, they told him that a group of around 10 to 15 alleged robbers had attacked the vehicle with stones from the railway track before fleeing the area.
Sub-Inspector Ashik said police had reached the scene after receiving information about a robbery when a group suddenly began throwing stones at them. He and the officer-in-charge were injured during the attack, while the police vehicle was damaged by the repeated impact of the stones.
Police subsequently launched an operation in the area and arrested three people in connection with the incident.
Officer-in-Charge Md Mahbubur Rahman said he reached the scene at around 5am after receiving the report and was briefed about the circumstances. Police later conducted an operation that resulted in the arrest of the three suspects.
According to the officer-in-charge, the suspects admitted their involvement during preliminary questioning. Police have filed a case against the three arrested men, while another 10 to 15 people have been named as unidentified accused in connection with the alleged attack, damage to the police vehicle and obstruction of police duties.
The case was filed by police, and legal proceedings against the arrested suspects are under way. Police are also continuing efforts to identify and arrest those who allegedly fled the scene.
The incident has caused concern in Bhairab, particularly because the reported robbery took place during the early morning hours when many people were travelling to or from the railway station. The police attack also adds another dimension to the case, with investigators now looking into both the reported robbery and the subsequent assault on officers and damage to the police vehicle.
