Rab arrests 5 over killing revenue officer

Members of a suspected snatching gang allegedly threw a revenue officer from a moving CNG-powered auto-rickshaw following a struggle during a robbery attempt in Cumilla, according to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).

The victim, Bullet Boiragi, was reportedly attacked while the assailants attempted to seize his mobile phone, cash and bag. During the altercation, he was pushed onto the road, sustaining fatal injuries.

Details of the incident were disclosed on Monday by M. Z. M. Intekhab Chowdhury, Director of RAB’s Law and Media Branch, at a press conference held in Karwan Bazar, Dhaka.

RAB said a five-member organised gang was involved in the killing. The suspects, posing as passengers, allegedly lured the victim into a CNG-powered auto-rickshaw before carrying out the attack.

All five accused have been arrested, and the vehicle used in the crime has been seized.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Imran Hossain Hridoy (37), Mohammad Sohag (30), Ismail Hossain Joni (25), Mohammad Sujon (32), and Rahatul Rahman Jewel (27).

A cleaver and a switchblade knife were also recovered during the operation.

According to RAB, the group regularly operated in different areas of Cumilla, disguising themselves as drivers and passengers.

They reportedly targeted travellers arriving from distant locations, enticing them into auto-rickshaws before assaulting them with sharp weapons and robbing them.

Investigators said the suspects were arrested on Sunday during coordinated raids in various parts of Cumilla.

During interrogation, the accused reportedly said that Bullet Boiragi had arrived in the Bishwa Road area after travelling from Chittagong, where he had completed a training programme.

At around 3:00 am last Friday, he boarded a CNG-powered auto-rickshaw after being told it would depart once another passenger joined.

The suspects allegedly waited in the Jagurjhuli Bishwa Road area and targeted the victim after learning he was heading to Jangalia.

While en route, three members of the group attacked him with sharp weapons, threatened him, and took his belongings.

A struggle ensued, during which the assailants threw him from the moving vehicle. He suffered severe head and facial injuries and died at the scene, RAB said.

His body was later recovered by the Maynamati Highway Police at around 7:45 am on Saturday from a footpath beside a hotel in the Kotbari area along the Dhaka-Chittagong highway.

Authorities said further legal proceedings are underway.