A Chinese official was allegedly tied up by a group of robbers who broke into an electric rickshaw battery factory in Dhamrai, Dhaka, and took Tk70 lakh in cash.
The incident occurred late on Saturday night at Jiangsu Storage Battery BD Co Ltd in the Belishwar area of Sutipara Union. Police visited the factory on Sunday afternoon after receiving information about the robbery.
According to the factory authorities and police, Li Penggui, the factory’s in-charge and cashier, went to sleep in his room at around 11.30pm. About 45 minutes later, at approximately 12.15am, a group of three men allegedly entered the premises through the rear section of the factory.
The men reportedly cut through the metal grille of a toilet window at the back of the factory before gaining access to the premises. They then allegedly broke the lock on the door of Li’s room and entered.
Once inside, the group reportedly restrained the Chinese official by tying his hands and feet with rope. One of the alleged robbers held a knife to his throat and demanded the key to the cash locker.
According to the complaint, Li was forced to hand over the key. The attackers then opened the locker and took the Tk70 lakh kept inside before leaving the factory.
The circumstances surrounding the robbery are now being examined by police. Investigators are expected to establish how the men gained access to the premises, whether they had prior knowledge of the location of the cash and how they managed to leave the factory after the incident.
The reported use of a rear toilet window as an entry point is also likely to form part of the investigation. Police will need to determine whether the window and its grille were adequately secured and whether the attackers had identified the location as a vulnerable access point.
The presence of a large amount of cash inside the factory’s locker is another aspect that investigators are looking into. The authorities are expected to verify the reported amount and establish the circumstances in which the money was being kept there.
Police visited the factory on Sunday afternoon to inspect the scene and gather information related to the incident. Investigators are also working to identify the people involved in the robbery and trace the stolen money.
Dhamrai police station officer-in-charge Nazmul Huda Khan said police had visited the factory after receiving information about the incident. He said the case was being investigated seriously and that police operations were under way to identify those responsible and recover the stolen cash.
No arrest has been reported so far. The investigation remains ongoing, with police focusing on the alleged three-member group, their method of entry and the circumstances surrounding the theft.
The case has also drawn attention to the security arrangements at the industrial facility. However, the exact circumstances of the robbery and the identities of those involved will depend on the evidence gathered during the police investigation.
