Robbers Snatch Bag of Cash, Injure Shop Employee in Chittagong

In a daring robbery in Chittagong’s Mohra area at Kajirhat, a group of miscreants looted Tk 20 lakh from a distributor of the Abul Khair Group. The incident occurred on Tuesday morning around 7:45 AM when the robbers snatched a bag containing the cash from outside a shop. When chased, the robbers attacked, injuring an employee of the distributor with a sharp weapon and assaulting the distributor himself.

According to police and employees of the affected business, Rafiq Ahmad, a distributor of consumer goods for the Abul Khair Group, was opening his store, Rafiq Store, in Kajirhat. The cash, meant for a bank deposit, was snatched by the robbers. When one of the shop employees attempted to stop them, he was attacked with a sharp weapon.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Abul Khair Group’s manager Abu Taleb said that Rafiq Ahmad, for security reasons, takes the day’s earnings home at night and brings the money back to the shop the next morning for banking. On Tuesday, as usual, Rafiq arrived at the shop with two employees and the cash. As they were opening the shop, three armed individuals, wielding sharp weapons and a pistol, suddenly snatched the bag of money and fled. Abu Taleb further stated that Rafiq, his two employees, and nearby locals chased the robbers. Police in the area also joined the pursuit. During the chase, the robbers attacked shop employee Shah Alam with a sharp weapon, injuring him, and assaulted Rafiq Ahmad. However, locals managed to apprehend one suspect, identified as Sumon. In 2020, a similar incident occurred in the same area, where cigarettes worth Tk 47 lakh belonging to the Abul Khair Group were looted, Abu Taleb noted. He added that legal action would be taken regarding this incident.

Chandgaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Zahedul Kabir told Prothom Alo that part of the stolen money has been recovered. He said the distributor’s employee had placed the bag of cash on the ground while opening the shop, and the robbers took advantage of the moment to flee with it. When chased, the robbers attacked the employee with a sharp weapon and even attempted to attack police officers. The police fired warning shots, and one suspect was apprehended while attempting to escape with the money. Efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining suspects.