Dacoits kill UNDP official, bus passenger: 3 dacoits lynched by villagers

Dacoits killed a programme officer of UNDP and a bus passenger, and injured 10 others while the angry people killed three dacoits in reprisal on Friday night here.

Police arrested four dacoits and recovered the looted properties.

District Superintendent of Police (SP) Sheikh Mohammad Maruf Hasan said a Chittagong-bound Volvo bus of Green Line Company left Rangpur on Friday afternoon. Ten dacoits who were in the guise of passengers, took over the vehicle’s control when it reached Allenga area, the eastern side of the Jamuna river.

The SP said the dacoits stabbed driver Jikrul Haque (38) and started snatching cash, ornaments, mobile phones and other valuables of the passengers through indiscriminate stabbing.

They left the bus at Birphusia in Karatia area. Bleeding Jikrul drove the bus and was able to reach Jamurki Health Complex under Mirzapur thana with about 10 injured passengers.

The police transferred the injured passengers to Kumudini Hospital where Shaumitra Kumar Dev, the UNDP official, succumbed to his injuries.

The condition of Mujibur Rahman, Maruf and the driver was stated to be critical.

The SP said the dacoits after leaving the bus tried to escape from the scene by a pre-arranged microbus from Jamurki. A police party headed by ASI Motaleb Hossain stopped the microbus at Bhurburia on Tangail-Nagarpur Road under Delduar thana.

Hearing about the dacoity, the people of the area gathered there and caught seven of them after a brief chase. Three of the dacoits were beaten to death on the spot while police arrested other four .

The dead dacoits were identified as Selim (32) of village Kagmari of Jhikargachha thana, Jessore, Goljar Hossain Rabiul (45) of village Mattam Ganga of Khan Jahan Ali thana, Bagerhat, and Aslam (30), of South Amra Gachhi of Mirjaganj thana, Patuakhali.

The arrested were identified as Selim Sheikh (32), brother of Goljer Hossain, micro bus driver Azizul Ali of Dewli Khan Para of Singair thana, Manikganj, Milon Hawlader (30) of village north Amragachhi of Mirjaganj thana of Patuakhali and Abdus Sobhan (30) of village Parbazar of Jhikargachha thana.

Three other dacoits managed to escape, said the police.

Two separate cases have been filed at Delduar and Mirjapur thanas in this connection.