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Download PDF The Detective Branch (DB) of police suspects that jewellery traders were involved in the BRAC Bank jewellery heist at its Sukrabad branch in January.
The suspicion grew stronger as the DB on Monday recovered 172 tolas of gold from New Rupnagar Jewellers at Rajdhani Super Market in the capital and arrested three persons including an employee of the jewellery shop.
The arrestees were identified as Mohammad Mashuk from Kalapara village of Kotwali thana in Sylhet, Mohammad Mannan, and Shubha Sarkar — an employee of New Rupnagar Jewellers.
The owner of the store, Mohammad Halim, however escaped arrest during the raid.
After the three arrestees were produced before a court yesterday seeking a 10-day remand, the court fixed Saturday for hearing of the plea.
Sometime between January 3 and 7, a gang of burglars pierced through the roof of the bank and made off with ornaments and other valuables worth several crores of taka from its 75 lockers.
So far, the DB in four separate drives across the country arrested 20 persons including two out of three masterminds of the burglary and recovered over 550 tolas of gold jewellery, five pieces of diamonds, around 100 tolas of silver jewellery and Tk 3,00,000 in cash.
Mohammad Nasirullah, inspector of DB and investigation officer (IO) of the case, told The Daily Star, “Mashuk [arrested on Monday] is one of the three masterminds and Mannan harboured the accused.”
Mannan had been sheltering other accused — Taher, Hanif, Shukkur, Mashuk and Mozammel — and was trying to help them flee to the Middle East, added the IO.
Jewellery shop owner Halim had bought 172 tolas of gold from the burglars for Tk 15 lakh and he was a regular customer of stolen gold items, he said adding that the entire loot of gold and other jewellery were purchased by several jewellery shop owners with whom the burglars have longstanding links.
Shukkur Ali, one of the masterminds of the BRAC Bank heist, was arrested earlier from Mongla port area in Bagerhat and another mastermind Abdul Halim is still on the run, said the IO.
Inspector Nasirullah said the booty from the BRAC Bank burglary was divided into 19 shares and Shukkur Ali alone got five shares as he along with his wife, his father, mother and a brother-in-law were also involved in the heist while Mashuk was given about two shares.
“The recovered booty would be handed over to the Bangladesh Bank following completion of the investigation upon verdict of the court,” he added.
“We are drawing near the end of the investigation. About half of the booty has been recovered and we would be able to submit the charge sheet of the case once three to four more suspects are arrested,” said Inspector Nasirullah.
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