Bangladesh News

An attendant of a Dhaka-bound train from Chittagong was killed by a gang of robbers that attacked the passengers and looted money and valuables between Akhaura junction and Imambari station early yesterday.

The victim was identified as Md Shamsul Haque, 54, son of Md Abdul Latif of Pashdak village under Ramganj upazila of Lakshmipur. A passenger was also injured during the robbery.

According to the Government Railway Police (GRP), the robbers boarded a cabin on the mail train Chittagong Up-1 at Comilla Railway Station in the guise of passengers.

The train arrived at Imambari Railway Station in Brahmanbaria at 2:28am yesterday. As soon as the train left the station, cries were heard from the cabin.

When the train reached Akhaura Railway Station, the GRP recovered the body of the attendant from the cabin toilet.

The passengers in the cabin said the gang tied their mouths with tapes and looted their money and valuables. Passenger Abdur Rauf, 50, was injured during the bustle.

They said the robbers dragged the attendant into the toilet, tied him there and killed him.

The train reached Brahmanbaria Railway Station at 6:50am–over three hours late than usual time.

A case was filed with the GRP police station at Akhaura Railway Junction. The autopsy of the dead body was done at Brahmanbaria Sadar Hospital.

Md Wahiduzzaman, IRP of Akhaura Railway Zone, will investigate the case, sources said.

When contacted, Nibas Chandra Maji, GRP superintendent of police for Chittagong region, said two police teams have been formed to arrest the robbers immediately.

A total of four officials and staffs of Bangladesh Railway have been killed by miscreants in the last 10 years on the same route, railway office sources said.

The authorities could not yet arrest the killers of JC Mandal, train guard of Turna Nishita who was killed about four months ago.

Meanwhile, the third- and fourth-class employees of Bangladesh Railway staged a demonstration at Kamalapur Railway Station yesterday morning.

Wearing black badges, the railway staffs observed a work stoppage for about an hour from 9:00am.

Movement of all trains remained suspended at the station during that time.

The demonstrating railway employees also submitted a memorandum to the station authority with a three-point demand, including arresting the killers and giving compensation to the families of the victims.