Three arrested after Tk 250,000 looted from church in Baridhara

Police say two masked men entered De Mazenod Church after scaling the boundary wall, tied up its director and fled with cash, a passport and a national identity card

Three people have been arrested over a robbery at a church in Dhaka’s Baridhara, where intruders tied up its director and looted Tk 250,000, police say.

The incident took place late on Tuesday night after the suspects climbed over the boundary wall of De Mazenod Church and cut through a grill, according to Gulshan Division Deputy Commissioner M Tanvir Ahmed.

The arrestees are Abul Hossain Ratan, also known as Habu, 36, Mohammad Nizam, also known as Mizan, 37, and Akhtar Hossain Mona, also known as Monir, 38.

Police said they recovered Tk 248,000 of the stolen money, along with a passport, a national identity card and the tool used to cut the grill.

Speaking at a press conference at Bhatara Police Station on Friday, Tanvir said CCTV footage showed suspicious movement by a battery-run rickshaw around the time of the robbery.

After collecting and reviewing information on rickshaws and drivers in Bhatara and nearby areas, police identified and arrested the driver, Akhtar Hossain Mona, he said. The other two suspects were later arrested based on information he provided.

According to police, two masked men scaled the church wall on Tuesday night and entered the compound. They first locked the doors of the staff rooms from the outside.

They then cut through the grill of the office room of church director Father Subas Pulak Gomez, entered the room and tied his hands, feet and mouth, police said.

The intruders then opened a cupboard in the office and looted Tk 250,000 in cash, along with a passport and a national identity card, before fleeing over the wall in a battery-run rickshaw.

Tanvir said police first arrested Mona, also known as Monir, in the Mugda area and recovered the battery-run rickshaw used in the robbery, along with Tk 100,000 in cash.

Based on his information, police arrested Nizam, also known as Mizan, in the char area of Ramgati in Lakshmipur and recovered Tk 48,000 from him.

Using information and confessional statements from the two men, police then arrested Abul Hossain Ratan, whom they described as the “mastermind” of the robbery, in the Amtala area of Khilkhet in Dhaka. Police recovered Tk 100,000 in cash, along with the passport and national identity card, from him.

Tanvir said Habu has eight cases against him at different police stations, including in Khilkhet. Mizan is named in a robbery case in Cumilla’s Lalmai, while Monir has a drug case against him in Halishahar under Chattogram Metropolitan Police.

“They are addicted to drugs and online gambling. To fund those habits, they commit theft, mugging and robbery in Dhaka and other areas,” he said.

Asked about the motive, Tanvir said the suspects believed the church might have had a large amount of cash because Easter Sunday had recently passed.

“The rickshaw driver was part of the group and stood guard outside, while the other two went inside, tied up the father and took away the cash, passport and national identity card,” he said.