Man shot by Ashulia bank robbers dies after three days

Another person shot and hacked by the robbers who robbed a bank at Ashulia last Tuesday has died in a Savar hospital.

With the death of Ayub Ali, 70, on Friday evening at the Enam Medical College and Hospital’s ICU, the toll in the incident has risen to nine.

A group of 8-10 robbers had attacked the Bangladesh Commerce Bank Ltd’s Ashulia branch with firearms, bombs and sharp weapons.

Six people including bank officials, customers and bystanders were killed during the robbery. A number of others were injured by gunshots and bomb blasts.

The locals fought back and caught two of the robbers when they fell with their motorcycle while fleeing the scene.

They lynched one of them and handed the other, Saiful Islam, over to police after a beating.

The motorcycle was torched, and the locals also managed to recover most of the stolen Tk 700,000.

One of the victims had died later that day at the same hospital.

Enam Medical College and Hospital’s Dr Rezaul Karim on Friday said Ayub Ali had gunshot wounds in his chest and stomach when he was admitted.

Ali was also hacked with sharp weapons, he said.

Police suspect the aim of bank raid was not robbery but to create massive panic through killing and violence. 

They also believe militants were involved.

Police on Tuesday night, armed with information gleaned from Saiful, picked up one Borhan Uddin.

Based on the information gathered from the duo, detectives nabbed two others - Babul Sardar and Mintu Pradhan – from Tongi’s Shatnagar in a raid on Thursday night.

At a press briefing on Friday, police said they suspected the arrestees were operatives of banned Islamist outfit Jamaa'tul Mujahideen Bangladesh.