Armed Robbery on Padma River Leaves Passenger Wounded

An armed robbery occurred on the Padma River within the Char Bhadrasan upazila of Faridpur on Tuesday evening. A gang of river pirates intercepted a moving passenger speedboat, physically assaulted and hacked a trader, and looted cash, mobile phones, and key mechanical components of the vessel, including its engine.

Ambush and Escape on the Waterway

The incident took place at approximately 7:30 pm on Tuesday near the Char Jhaukanda union along the Padma River. According to local sources and police briefs, the speedboat helmed by driver Sanjit Khalasi, 39, had transported eight cattle traders from the Gopalpur ghat in Char Bhadrasan to the Moinot ghat in Dohar upazila earlier that afternoon. The traders were returning home after concluding business at the Tepakhola cattle market in Faridpur town.

After offloading the merchants, Khalasi commenced the return journey with a single passenger on board, identified as 32-year-old businessman Liton Molla. As the speedboat crossed the boundary of Dhaka district and entered Char Bhadrasan territory near Faruk Molla’s Char, a double-engine speedboat carrying an armed gang pursued them.

The pirates successfully blocked the path of the passenger vessel. Assessing the immediate threat, the driver steered the speedboat directly onto the riverbank and fled into a dense patch of wild catkin grass (kashbon) to save his life. He remained hidden until law enforcement personnel subsequently extracted him from the area.

Assault, Looting, and Community Concerns

Left alone on the stranded vessel, Mr Molla was held at knifepoint by the perpetrators. The gang plundered his mobile phone and personal cash reserves before systematically dismantling and stealing the speedboat’s engine and associated mechanical components. Before fleeing the scene, the attackers struck Mr Molla’s left arm with a sharp weapon, inflicting severe injuries. Local fishermen discovered the wounded businessman and facilitated his evacuation to a hospital in the Dohar upazila of Dhaka, where he remains under medical care.

Abdus Sabur Molla, a local cultural activist specializing in riverine community affairs, remarked that an act of piracy of this nature had not been recorded on this specific route for over a decade. He emphasized that if this critical transit link between Dhaka and the river islands becomes unsafe, it will create significant security anxieties for residents across the region, urging authorities to swiftly apprehend the culprits and fortify naval policing.

Anwar Hossain, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Char Bhadrasan Police Station, verified the facts of the crime. He confirmed that a police unit deployed to the scene and successfully rescued the driver, though the criminal syndicate had evaporated prior to their arrival. He stated that an active investigation is underway and formal legal proceedings will be launched against the organized pirate network.

Case and Casualty Profiles

The documented parameters, individuals involved, and assets compromised during the river robbery are outlined in the table below: