A petrol station employee was reportedly attacked and a cash haul of Tk121.25 million was stolen while he and two colleagues were travelling to a bank in Dhaka’s Uttara area on Sunday morning.
The incident took place at around 10.30am in front of Crown Plaza on the Airport Road. Police said several people allegedly involved in the robbery have already been identified and efforts are under way to arrest them.
According to the case filed with Airport Police Station, the money belonged to DL Petrol Pump in Uttara and was being taken to a branch of Pubali Bank in Sector 1 for deposit.
The complaint states that assistant manager Mohammad Al Amin, CNG operator Selimuzzaman and covered-van driver Khorshed were carrying a bag containing the cash when they came under attack.
The three were travelling towards the bank when six to seven people on three motorcycles allegedly blocked their vehicle near Crown Plaza. The attackers reportedly threatened them with firearms before taking the cash bag. Al Amin was allegedly struck with a machete during the incident.
After seizing the money, the attackers fled towards Abdullahpur on their motorcycles, according to the case statement.
Al Amin was subsequently taken to Bangladesh-Kuwait Maitree Hospital with the help of Selimuzzaman, Khorshed and people nearby. The extent of his injuries was not immediately disclosed.
Kamrul Hasan Talukder, officer-in-charge of Airport Police Station, said DL Petrol Pump manager Abdul Karim had filed a case against six to seven unidentified individuals. The complaint states that Tk121.25 million was stolen from the petrol station.
Investigators are also examining whether the attackers had prior information about the movement of the money. Officials involved in the investigation suspect that the alleged robbers may have known that the station routinely sent cash to the bank at a particular time. Police are looking into how such information, if available, could have reached the perpetrators.
The incident has raised questions about the security arrangements used while transporting a large amount of cash. The three employees were travelling with the money in a covered van when the alleged attackers intercepted them in a busy area of the capital.
Police said the investigation is continuing, with efforts focused on identifying and apprehending those responsible for the robbery.
Tarik Ahmed Beg, deputy commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Uttara Division, said several people allegedly involved in the robbery had been identified. Police were making efforts to arrest them.
The petrol station is owned by Tasin Akhtar Haque, who is identified in the report as a maternal cousin of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. His mother, the late Khurshid Jahan Haque, was the elder sister of former prime minister Khaleda Zia.
The investigation is expected to focus on the sequence of events surrounding the cash transfer, the movements of the motorcycles used in the attack and the possible source of information about the scheduled bank deposit. Police have not yet announced any arrests in connection with the case.
