Police recover brass bell weighing 70kg stolen from church

Police have recovered a brass bell weighing around 70kg that was stolen from Saint Paul School and Church in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur.

The bell was recovered abandoned beside a garbage bin on Zakir Hossain Road in Mohammadpur around 2:50am on Friday, Mohammadpur Police chief Md Abdul Halim told bdnews24.com.

He said the bell had been kept in an open area on the second floor of Saint Paul School and Church at House No. 92 in front of the WASA building on Asad Avenue. It was stolen by one or more unidentified thieves sometime after 12:03am on Friday.

Police visited the site after receiving information. Several teams subsequently began operations to recover the stolen property and arrest those involved.

The police officer said the thief or thieves abandoned the bell and fled during the police operation. It was later recovered intact beside a garbage bin on Zakir Hossain Road, wrapped in a white polythene bag.

Abdul Halim said police are investigating why the church’s CCTV recording stopped after 12:03am, shortly before the theft. Footage from CCTV cameras at nearby establishments is being collected and analysed, while efforts are under way to identify and arrest those involved.

The recovered bell is currently in police custody, and legal proceedings in connection with the theft are under way, he said.