A sedative drug was first mixed into green-coconut water, which was then cunningly given to an auto-rickshaw driver to drink; when the driver lost consciousness, the culprits made off with his auto-rickshaw, according to police. Police in Naogaon have arrested four people accused of involvement in such incidents. An auto-rickshaw that had been stolen was recovered, and a motorcycle, eight mobile phones, cash and sedative drugs were seized.
Confirming the matter on Tuesday noon, Superintendent of Police Mohammad Tariqul Islam said that at about 10:30 a.m. on July 10, the fraud ring targeted a rickshaw driver and built up a rapport with him. Claiming that a baby had been born in their family, they first fed him sweets, then gave him a green coconut to drink; according to the complaint, a sedative drug had been mixed into the coconut water beforehand. The driver fell unconscious within a short time of drinking it, and the fraudsters fled with the auto-rickshaw. On receiving news of the incident, the SP directed the Naogaon Sadar Model Police Station to register a case and the District Detective Branch (DB) police to conduct a special operation.
Police said the accused were identified with the help of CCTV footage analysis, a criminals’ database, artificial intelligence (AI) and modern information technology. A joint team of the Naogaon Sadar Model Police Station and the district detective branch then ran an 18-hour operation in Bogura and Gaibandha districts and arrested four people on July 12, bringing them to Naogaon the next day; the stolen auto-rickshaw was also recovered from Gaibandha in the same operation.
Those arrested are Ibrahim alias Emon, 34, of Lohaimuri village in Burichang upazila of Cumilla; Humayun Kabir, 50, of Khejurtala village in Barguna Sadar upazila; Khaja Mia, 56, of Fuldighi Purbapara village in Shahjahanpur upazila of Bogura; and Abdul Gafur, 41, of Jirai village in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha. In the operation, Tk 1,430 from the sale of the auto-rickshaw, four mobile phones and 10 Rivotril tablets were seized from Ibrahim; Tk 10,000 from the sale of the auto-rickshaw, two mobile phones and a Pulsar motorcycle were seized from Humayun; the victim’s auto-rickshaw was recovered from Abdul Gafur; and two mobile phones were seized from Khaja Mia.
SP Mohammad Tariqul Islam said that in initial questioning the arrested men admitted their involvement in the incident. He said Ibrahim and Humayun also faced multiple cases, including murder cases, at various police stations across the country, and that the ring had for a long time been mixing sleeping or sedative drugs into coconut water to gain people’s trust, render them unconscious and seize cash, vehicles and other valuables.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report