Islamic Speaker Rafiqul Islam Madani Faces Highway Robbers in Sonargaon; Driver's Quick Move Saves Him, Police Say They Arrived in Two Minutes
Islamic speaker Rafiqul Islam Madani has said he faced an organised gang of robbers in Sonargaon, Narayanganj, while returning to Dhaka after a waz mahfil in Cumilla.
The incident took place at around 3am on Sunday (October 25) at Pakunda on the Bastal-to-Gausia stretch of the Asian Highway.
In a Facebook live broadcast shortly after the incident, Rafiqul Islam Madani said a gang of robbers tried to stop their vehicle by throwing large bricks and stones onto the highway.
Sensing the situation, the driver quickly reversed the vehicle 200 to 300 yards to a safe distance. He said it was the driver's presence of mind that saved them from a major danger.
Rafiqul Islam Madani alleged that the gang snatched money and valuables from several passengers in the surrounding area of the road.
He said questions have arisen over the security of Islamic scholars in the country. Although they survived, the speaker expressed dissatisfaction and raised questions about the police response at the time of the incident.
However, Sonargaon police station officer-in-charge Mohammad Abdul Barik said police reached the scene within just two minutes of receiving the news and brought the situation under control. He noted that such a quick arrival would not have been possible had police not been patrolling nearby.
The OC said the gang members escaped under cover of darkness, so no one could be arrested. Legal action is being taken and efforts are under way to identify those involved.
