A brazen street robbery unfolded in Chittagong in the early hours of Saturday, as a pair of muggers targeted an elderly pedestrian in an alleyway, stealing his bag and making a swift escape in a waiting auto-rickshaw within just twelve seconds.
The incident took place around midnight on Friday in Alley No. 1, adjacent to the Bibirhat wet market under the Panchlaish Police Station precinct. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the crime began circulating widely across social media platforms on Saturday morning, triggering widespread alarm among local residents regarding public safety in neighbourhood lanes.
In the CCTV footage, the elderly man is seen walking through the narrow passage with a bag slung around his neck. Two unidentified men approach him from the opposite direction, closely followed by a battery-powered auto-rickshaw. As they cross paths, the assailants suddenly pounce on the victim, forcefully yank the bag from his neck, and leap into the moving auto-rickshaw. Despite his age, the visibly shaken victim gave chase on foot, but the perpetrators sped away into the night before anyone could intervene.
Local police authorities confirmed that they have initiated an investigation into the matter despite not having received an official complaint from the victim yet. Mozammel Haq, the Officer-in-Charge of Panchlaish Police Station, stated that police teams were dispatched immediately to inspect the crime scene after the footage surfaced online. Officers are currently reviewing surveillance data to trace the escape route, identify the perpetrators, and ascertain the identity of the victim, whose personal details and lost belongings remain unknown.
The video, which went viral after being posted by a local social media page named ‘Joddha’, drew hundreds of comments from concerned citizens highlighting the deteriorating security situation in suburban alleys. Commenters voiced frustration over street safety, with several pointing out how battery-powered auto-rickshaws are increasingly being used as quick getaway vehicles for opportunist criminals. Law enforcement officials have pledged to step up patrols in the Bibirhat area as they work to apprehend the suspects.
