Over 100 passengers held hostage and robbed in daylight on a Cox's Bazar hill road
Robberies took place in two phases in broad daylight at Himchhari Dhala on the Eidgaon-Eidgarh-Baishari road in Cox's Bazar. A masked, armed gang blocked vehicles, held passengers hostage and looted cash, mobile phones and other valuables.
Victims said that on Monday (October 19), in the morning and at noon, more than one hundred passengers from at least 50 to 60 vehicles fell into the hands of the robbers. Several of them were taken into the nearby jungle and beaten.
According to the victims, an armed gang of 10 to 12 people created a blockade on the road and stopped the vehicles. Passengers were then held hostage at gunpoint, taken into the nearby jungle and searched. Cash was taken from some, mobile phones and essential documents from others. Most of the robbed vehicles were CNG-run auto-rickshaws and motorcycles.
The victims alleged that although the looting continued for a long time, there was no police patrol on the road at the time of the incident.
Md Rabiul Islam, manager of the Eidgarh branch of a private organisation, said that around 12 noon he was travelling by motorcycle with another person from Eidgaon Bazar to Eidgarh. They were carrying 120,000 taka. When they reached Himchhari Dhala, 10 to 12 masked armed men stopped their motorcycle. The two were then taken into the nearby jungle and beaten.
The robbers searched their bodies and snatched 120,000 taka, two mobile phones and documents. They were released after a while.
Rabiul Islam claimed the robbers held more than one hundred passengers from 50 to 60 auto-rickshaws and motorcycles hostage and looted them for about two hours. Police reached the scene around 3pm and began an operation, but could not arrest anyone.
Abdul Hakim, an accountant at the Eidgarh branch of another private organisation, was also robbed on the same road. He said three of them were travelling by auto-rickshaw from Eidgaon Bazar to Eidgarh Bazar. On the way, the robbers held them hostage at gunpoint and took them into the nearby jungle. There they were beaten and robbed of 150,000 taka and a bank cheque book.
Abdul Hakim said looting happens frequently on this road. Incidents of abduction followed by ransom demands are also common. Yet there is no effective arrangement for passenger safety.
Mohammad Tarek, a resident of Eidgarh who fell into the robbers' hands, said that on Monday morning he was travelling from Eidgaon to Eidgarh in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw with five passengers. When they reached Himchhari Dhala, the auto-rickshaw was intercepted by the robbers and his mobile phone was snatched. Sensing the situation, he jumped from the moving auto-rickshaw and fled to save his life.
Local residents say passengers regularly suffer insecurity on the deserted stretches of this road passing through hilly forest. Alongside robbery, there are also allegations of abduction for ransom. They have therefore demanded stronger security on this road, which is an important route for the people of Eidgaon, Eidgarh and Baishari.
Meanwhile, police have begun an operation on the road. Eidgaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) ATM Shifatul Mazdar said some local miscreants created a blockade on the road, looted vehicles and hid in the jungle. Several police teams are conducting operations to catch them, but no one could be arrested by the evening.
The OC said police patrols have been strengthened in the deep forest area of the 17-kilometre-long Eidgaon-Eidgarh-Baishari road, and operations are under way to identify and arrest the robbers.
The incident of more than one hundred passengers being held hostage and looted for two hours in broad daylight has spread panic across the area. Locals believe that unless the robbers are arrested and a permanent patrol is ensured on the road, travel on this route will become even more dangerous.
