Police in Keraniganj have apprehended four members of an organised robbery gang armed with domestic weapons as they gathered to stage an armed raid in the early hours of Sunday. The midnight operation, executed by personnel from the Kalatia Police Outpost, disrupted the planned heist before the perpetrators could strike.
Acting on specific intelligence, an operational team led by the Kalatia Police Outpost In-Charge surrounded an area beneath a Grameenphone telecommunications mast in Bana Kandi village, located within Hazratpur Union. Officers received reports that a gang of 12 to 13 individuals had assembled at the secluded spot around 2:30 AM, preparing weapons to carry out robberies across neighbouring households and commercial properties.
As police officers moved in to encircle the perimeter, the armed group attempted to scatter and flee into the surrounding fields. Following a short chase, the police team detained four suspects on site, whilst several accomplices managed to slip away into the dark. A search of the detained men led to the recovery of several sharp domestic weapons, including machetes and iron rods intended for use in the planned break-in.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Mohammad Shamim, alias Mozam Dakat (28), of Bada Kachna village in Shariatpur’s Gosairhat upazila; Shanto, alias Sumon (26), from the Kholamora area under Keraniganj Model Police Station; Mohammad Moktar Hossain (27), hailing from Abdul Hakim village in Kurigram’s Ulipur upazila; and Shahidul Islam (22), also from Bada Kachna in Gosairhat.
According to police records, the primary suspect, Shamim—widely known by his alias “Mozam Dakat”—is a habitual offender with a significant criminal history. Investigators confirmed that Shamim faces at least 10 criminal cases across various police stations, primarily involving armed robbery, mugging, and violent theft.
During initial questioning in police custody, the four suspects confessed that they had congregated near the telecom mast with lethal weapons specifically to carry out coordinated robberies in the Hazratpur vicinity.
Officials at the Kalatia Police Outpost stated that dedicated teams have launched follow-up drives across nearby areas to track down and detain the remaining gang members who fled the scene. Formal charges are being registered against the four arrested suspects at the Keraniganj Model Police Station, with the detainees scheduled to be presented before the relevant court for judicial proceedings.
