Staff Reporter:
Sensing their attempt to rob a branch of Rupali Bank in Dhaka’s Keraniganj on December 19, has failed and mass beating is certain if they fall into the hands of angry mob, robbers frantically called police and pleaded to come first and save them.
Md Leon Molla alias Nirab, 22, plotted the robbery and lured 16-year-old Arafat and Sifat in carry-ing out the crimes, promising to give them Taka five lakh each in return. The trio was detained following their failed robbery attempt and Arafat and Sifat have already given confessional state-ments in the case on December 20.
The main perpetrator Leon on the other hand, was placed on a three-day remand in the case.
“Arafat and me were childhood friends. We get to know Leon 10/12 days earlier and at first we used to talk about football. Leon approached us four/five days earlier with his plan to rob the bank, saying he would give us Taka five lakh each in return. At first we both refused the offer, but later we gave in,” Sifat said in his confessional statement.
The two teenage robbers said at first they had plotted to rob a bank in Kadamtali area and later ze-roed in on the Rupali Bank branch in Chunkutia. They collected three toy pistols and stormed the bank at around 1.45 pm on December 19. They locked the bank gate from inside and made all the people hostage.
“We asked all including the security guard not to make any sound and sit on their knees by keep-ing their hands behind their backs. We said we will not harm anyone and leave the place after tak-ing the money. All the people, except one, inside the bank followed our command,” Sifat said.
The robbers at the time cut the cables of the CCTV cameras and broke the server hub of the bank. They took mobile phones of all the hostages and took Taka 18 lakh from the bank. As the manager was absent during the robbery, they could not get the keys of the vault and open it.
When the robbers stormed the bank and were taking all the people hostages, officer Mohabbat Hossain secretly locked himself inside the guardroom and called bank manager and building care-taker and informed them about the ongoing robbery.
“We stashed Taka 15 lakh inside a bag. Leon took another two lakh inside his pant pocket and I took one lakh inside my pocket. When we realized that people outside have already learned about our robbery and we would surely die if they manage to detain us, Leon started calling police and pleaded to come soon and save us,” Afarat said in his confessional statement.
Confirming the statement, officer in-charge of the South Keraniganj Police Station Mazharul Is-lam said Leon called them repeatedly and appealed to save them from mob.
Leon has given valuable information in the remand and told police about the places from where they collected the toy guns and knife, the OC said.
