Fresh off London flight, expat family robbed by 'DB impersonators' in Dhaka

A family member says the robbers made off with gold jewellery worth around Tk 1.5 million, two iPhones, and some cash

A Bangladeshi expatriate family has been robbed of all their belongings shortly after arriving in Dhaka from London.

Just minutes after leaving the airport on Tuesday morning, robbers posing as officers of the police's Detective Branch (DB) pulled them near the Banani Graveyard and made off with their belongings and cash.

The family had hired a microbus from the airport to return home. For security reasons, they have chosen not to disclose their identities to the media.

When asked about the incident, Banani Police Station chief Russell Sarwar said: “They were likely followed from the airport. The robbers used signal lights similar to those used by police to stop their vehicle."

“Then, identifying themselves as DB officers and using threats and intimidation, they looted gold jewellery, mobile phones, some Bangladeshi currency, and some foreign currency before fleeing.”

Asked if anyone was injured or assaulted, Russell said: “No one was seriously hurt. But they were roughed up a bit.”

He added that preparations were underway to file a case over the incident.

A family member said they were all deeply shaken. The robbers took gold jewellery worth around Tk 1.5 million, two iPhones, and some cash.