Photo: Collected
A case has been filed three days after a robbery and molestation incident occurred on a moving Rajshahi-bound bus in Tangail's Mirzapur area. Omar Ali, a passenger of the bus from Natore's Baraigram Upazila, lodged the case at Mirzapur Police Station early today (21 February) over the shocking incident that took place on Monday night (17 February).
Mirzapur police Officer-in-Charge Mosharraf Hossain confirmed the matter to The Business Standard. "We registered the case as soon as we received the complaint. The case has been filed against 8 to 9 unidentified individuals," he said. Omar said that he boarded the bus at 11pm on Monday and soon fell victim to the robbery.
Around 4am on Friday, Omar, along with fellow passenger Sohag Hossain and their business partner Abu Hanif, were transported to Mirzapur Police Station by a police vehicle, where he signed the First Information Report (FIR).
Omar said he also saw the bus supervisor, Suman Islam, 33, driver Babul Ali, 30, and driver's assistant Mahbub Alam, 28, at the police station, intending to file a case themselves. He expressed confusion, stating, "They are involved in the incident. They should be the accused. Yet, they are here to file a case. I don't understand what's happening."
Sub-Inspector Khairul Basar of Mirzapur Police Station confirmed to Prothom Alo that a case regarding the bus robbery had been filed but mentioned he did not have access to the FIR and was unaware of its specific contents.
On Monday night, a group of robbers boarded the bus and, over a span of three hours, looted passengers' belongings and molested female passengers.
Citing victims of the incident, media reports said the Unique Road Royals bus left Gabtoli at around 11pm on Monday with around 40 passengers. The robbery started at around 12:30am on Tuesday when the bus reached Tangail's Mirzapur.
The incident took place after the bus picked up some people from the road in the Chandra area of Gazipur. Meanwhile, the bus supervisor, driver, and the driver's assistant were initially detained but they have been released on bail due to a lack of specific charges against them.
The Baraigram Administrative Court granted their bail plea on Wednesday (19 February), according to court sources. They have been released on bail on the condition of appearing at the Mirzapur Police Station as the incident took place in an area under its jurisdiction.
Messenger/JRTarek
