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Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) have arrested seven alleged members of an organised gang accused of carrying out robberies and snatchings in the capital while posing as members of the DB, RAB and police.
Among those arrested is the alleged gang leader, Tayeb Ali Sardar, who faces 45 cases involving murder, robbery and other serious offences.
The other suspects are Pavel Sardar, Saifur Rahman, Rabbi Alam, Imran Hossain Bhuiyan, Nurul Islam and Md Ismail.
Police recovered a foreign-made pistol, six rounds of ammunition, walkie-talkies, handcuffs, fake number plates, vests bearing RAB and DB markings, police equipment and a private car from their possession.
Additional Police Commissioner Mohammad Osman Gani disclosed the details at a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre on Minto Road on Sunday.
He said police received information on August 13 that a gang was preparing to carry out a robbery near the southern side of Durani Bridge beside the embankment in Kamrangirchar. A team led by the assistant commissioner of Lalbagh later arrested Tayeb from the area and recovered two mobile phones and a pocket router from him.
Based on information obtained during questioning, police arrested Pavel Sardar in Uttarkhan. A kirich, two mobile phones, a RAB-logo ID card holder, two army field caps and a black laser light were recovered from him.
Police later arrested Saifur Rahman, Rabbi Alam, Imran Hossain Bhuiyan, Nurul Islam and Md Ismail from the Centre Point Shopping Mall area in Uttara based on information provided by Tayeb and Pavel.
Police subsequently recovered a black walkie-talkie set, police-logo handcuffs, two fake number plates, three RAB-marked vests, a DB-marked vest, two reflective vests, reflective stickers, a pistol cover, a toy pistol, three smartphones and several pocket routers from the mall’s parking area.
Acting on information from Imran, police also recovered a foreign-made pistol and six rounds of ammunition from Rupganj in Narayanganj. A private car allegedly used in robberies was recovered from Dhanmondi based on information provided by Tayeb.
According to the DMP official, the suspects admitted during questioning to involvement in several recent robberies and snatchings in Dhaka.
Police found evidence linking the group to the snatching of Tk 23.2 lakh in the Jatrabari area in May and nearly Tk 12 lakh from a courier service in Khilkhet in July.
The names of Tayeb and Pavel also reportedly appeared in statements given by suspects under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in connection with those cases.
Osman Gani said Tayeb had been arrested several times in the past but returned to criminal activities after securing bail.
He said police were also examining whether weaknesses in police forwarding reports, charge sheets or evidence contributed to the suspects obtaining bail.
Pocket routers used to evade tracking
The DMP official said the gang used pocket routers to conceal their locations and evade law-enforcement tracking.
While mobile phone SIM cards and Wi-Fi connections can normally help authorities identify a person’s location, the suspects allegedly used pocket routers in an attempt to make tracking more difficult.
He said police nevertheless have the technological capability to identify and arrest criminals using such devices.
Authorities are also investigating where the suspects obtained RAB and DB vests and other police-related equipment, and whether they had links to other criminal networks or a wider group.
Police are examining the suspects’ bank accounts as part of the investigation.
Osman Gani said the use of walkie-talkies in Bangladesh requires approval from the relevant authorities and that authorities are also looking into the sale of unauthorised walkie-talkies online.
The suspects have been charged with preparing to commit robbery at Kamrangirchar Police Station and under the Arms Act at Rupganj Police Station. Police are also taking steps to show their arrests in the separate robbery cases filed in Jatrabari and Khilkhet.
Operations to arrest other suspected members of the gang are continuing.