Two people, including the alleged mastermind, have been arrested in connection with the death of a primary school headteacher who fell from a moving rickshaw during a bag-snatching incident near Bangladesh’s National Parliament complex in Dhaka.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said on Sunday (30 August) that it had arrested the main suspect and an alleged accomplice and seized the motorcycle reportedly used in the robbery.
The principal suspect has been identified as Mohammad Poni, also known as Poni. The identity of the second person arrested with him was not immediately disclosed by the authorities.
The incident took place at around 6.30am on Saturday (29 August) on a road beside the South Plaza of the National Parliament complex. The victim, identified as 50-year-old Mosa. Ronjina Parvin, was the headteacher of Bagbari Girls Government Primary School in Bogura.
According to RAB and the victim’s family, Ronjina had travelled to Dhaka from Bogura early on Saturday morning for treatment of an eye problem. She reached Gabtoli by bus and then took a rickshaw towards Islamia Eye Hospital in the Farmgate area.
While the rickshaw was passing the road near the South Plaza, a motorcycle carrying suspected snatchers approached from behind. The suspects allegedly grabbed Ronjina’s handbag and pulled it forcefully.
The sudden tug caused her to lose her balance and fall from the moving rickshaw onto the paved road. She suffered a severe head injury and sustained heavy bleeding.
Passers-by rescued her from the roadside and rushed her to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital. Doctors on duty declared her dead after she was brought to the hospital.
The incident prompted an immediate investigation. Authorities began examining closed-circuit television footage from cameras installed around the area in an effort to identify those involved.
Earlier, Tejgaon Division Deputy Commissioner of Police Ibn-e-Mizan had said that CCTV footage from the surrounding area was being analysed to trace the suspects. Investigators subsequently followed leads from the footage and other information gathered during the inquiry.
RAB-2 later carried out an operation in which Poni and his alleged accomplice were arrested. The motorcycle believed to have been used in the snatching was also recovered during the operation.
The case has drawn attention to the dangers posed by snatching on busy roads, particularly when offenders target passengers on moving vehicles. Such incidents can have consequences beyond the loss of personal belongings, as victims may be thrown onto the road and suffer life-threatening injuries.
In this case, what began as an attempt to seize a handbag resulted in the death of a schoolteacher who had travelled from Bogura to Dhaka seeking medical treatment.
RAB said legal proceedings were being taken against the arrested individuals. Investigators are also looking into whether other people were involved in the incident.
