In a daring and violent highway robbery, armed assailants opened fire on employees of a mobile financial service distributor in Gazipur’s Sreepur upazila, escaping with approximately 30 million Bangladeshi Taka (£200,000) in cash. The attack occurred along the Sreepur-Gosinga regional road near the Karnapur area at around 6:30 pm on Friday. An accountant sustained gunshot wounds during the ambush, whilst two other employees were injured in the ensuing struggle.
The targeted vehicle belonged to Bhaluka Channel Enterprise Limited, an authorised distribution agent for bKash operating out of Maona Chowrasta. According to Mostafizur Rahman, the manager of the Sreepur branch, the firm was facing a severe shortage of physical cash due to heavy demand from local ready-made garment workers who needed their weekly wages disbursed. Because formal banking channels were closed for the weekend, the branch arranged to fetch liquid cash against their digital balance from Hazrat Ali Munshi, a fellow distributor based in Narsingdi sadar.
A team consisting of accounts officer Himel, area manager Forhad, and driver Lal Miah collected four crore Taka in cash, packed into three large plastic sacks, and placed them in a private saloon car to transport back to Sreepur. As the vehicle traversed a secluded section of the regional highway flanked by Sal forests near Karnapur, a gang of 10 to 12 unidentified men riding multiple motorcycles intercepted them, blocking the road.
The assailants smashed the car windows using heavy sharp weapons, including Chinese hatchets, before demanding the cash. When the occupants attempted to resist, one of the robbers produced a pistol and shot Himel in the stomach. The gang seized the sacks containing an estimated three crore Taka and fled the scene within minutes.
Locals rushed to assist the victims after hearing the gunshots. Himel was taken to Sreepur Upazila Health Complex for urgent treatment before being transferred to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital in Gazipur city due to the severity of his gunshot injuries. The driver and the area manager received first aid for minor cuts and blunt force trauma.
Senior officials from Sreepur Police Station confirmed that law enforcement teams immediately inspected the crime scene and gathered forensic evidence. Police Superintendent Mohammad Shaheenur Alam stated that multiple operational units have commenced a investigation to identify the gang members, trace the getaway route, and recover the stolen funds.
