Police have arrested three suspected members of a robbery gang in connection with the theft of 400 gas cylinders in Raiganj, Sirajganj. Officers have recovered 48 of the stolen cylinders and seized a mini-truck during the operation.
The arrests were made during separate raids in Shahjahanpur and Bogura Sadar areas of Bogura late on Wednesday night, 14 October.
Saiful Islam Khan, additional superintendent of police for the Raiganj circle, confirmed the arrests on Thursday, 15 October.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Mohidul Islam, 26, a truck driver from Shahjahanpur upazila in Bogura; his assistant, Sakib Hossain, 20; and Golam Mostafa, 46, from Bogura Sadar upazila.
According to police, the case was filed by Mohammad Shafiullah, 30, a resident of Dikrir Char (Gopchar) in Narayanganj Sadar upazila. He is the son of the late Mohammad Panna Ullah. The arrests were made as part of the investigation into the case.
Police said the three suspects were scheduled to be produced before a court on Thursday afternoon.
According to the case statement, the incident took place at around 3am on 7 October. A truck carrying 400 gas cylinders from different companies left Talukdar Filling Station in Chaknur village of Raiganj, heading towards Dhaka.
When the vehicle reached the Rouha Bridge area, a group of 15 to 16 unidentified individuals blocked its path. The attackers threatened to kill the driver, Asif, and others travelling in the truck with sharp knives.
Two members of the group then took control of the vehicle by sitting beside the driver.
At around 4am, the truck was stopped on an isolated road near a cemetery in the Sholomile Fire Service area. The robbers transferred all 400 gas cylinders onto two mini-trucks and fled with the stolen goods.
They also took three mobile phones belonging to the driver and his assistant, along with Tk 86,000 in cash.
Police have so far recovered 48 of the 400 stolen cylinders and seized a mini-truck in connection with the case. Further details about the recovery of the remaining cylinders have not been disclosed.
The investigation is continuing to establish the involvement of other suspects and recover the remaining stolen property. The allegations against the arrested individuals will be determined through the judicial process.
