Passengers Turn Robbers in Tk One Million Snatching

A late-night journey turned into a harrowing ordeal for a mobile financial services agent in Chattogram, after a group of robbers posing as fellow passengers made off with Tk 1 million from him in a CNG-powered auto-rickshaw.

The incident occurred at around 10:30 pm on Saturday night in the Bahaddarhat area under Chandgaon police station. The victim, Anichul Islam, an agent of a mobile financial service provider, had just closed his shop and was waiting for transport near the Bahaddarhat bus terminal to return home. Due to heavy crowding, he was unable to board a city bus.

At that point, a CNG auto-rickshaw arrived, calling out for passengers and announcing that it would head towards the Chandgaon C&B intersection. The vehicle already had two passengers seated at the back and one sitting beside the driver. Seeing no immediate alternative, Anichul boarded the auto-rickshaw and took a seat at the rear.

Unbeknown to him at the time, the other “passengers” were in fact members of an organised snatching gang.

As the auto-rickshaw reached the area near Zia Complex, close to the Bahaddarhat bus terminal, one of the passengers claimed he was about to vomit and urgently asked the driver to stop the vehicle. The driver obliged and halted the auto-rickshaw in a comparatively secluded spot.

Concerned by the situation, Anichul and another passenger stepped out of the vehicle to make space. In that very moment, the criminals executed their plan. One of the robbers swiftly snatched the bag Anichul was carrying, which contained Tk 1 million in cash collected from daily transactions. The driver immediately sped away with the auto-rickshaw, leaving the victim helpless on the roadside.

The robbery only became publicly known on Sunday afternoon, after Anichul Islam formally lodged a case at Chandgaon police station.

Speaking to the media, Anichul described the incident as “terrifying and completely unexpected,” adding that he had trusted the situation due to the presence of multiple passengers and the apparent normalcy of the ride.

Chandgaon Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge, Jahedul Kabir, confirmed that a case has been registered in connection with the incident. “We are currently verifying the details and reviewing possible CCTV footage from the surrounding areas,” he said. “Efforts are underway to identify and arrest those involved.”

The incident has once again raised concerns about passenger safety during late-night travel in the city, particularly regarding the use of public and semi-public transport.

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