A joint force of the Army and the RAB conduct an operation after bank robberies in Bandarban
Published : 08 Apr 2024, 10:26 PM
A joint force of the Army and the Rapid Action Battalion has detained two members of separatist group Kuki-Chin National Front or KNF in Bandarban’s Ruma, says the Inter-Service Public Relations Directorate.
They also recovered seven locally made guns, 20 rounds of bullets, uniforms and boots during the operation at Bethel Para on Monday, the IPR said in a statement.
The RAB on Sunday arrested a man allegedly coordinating operations of KNF aka the Bawm Party.
Police said they also arrested four people, including three members of the Bawm ethnic minority, over the bank robberies in Bandarban’s Ruma and Thanchi Upazilas. A jeep has also been seized.
On Apr 2, over 100 men attacked the Sonali Bank branch in Ruma Upazila's Sadar area. As many as 20 people, including bank officials and security personnel, were assaulted, and the branch's manager, Nezam Uddin, was abducted.
The following day, a group of armed robbers looted the Thanchi branches of the Bangladesh Krishi Bank and Sonali Bank. They took Tk 208,000 from Krishi Bank and Tk 1,500,000 from Sonali Bank.
The robbers also opened fire near the banks to spread panic among the locals during the heist.
On Thursday night, Ruma's Sonali Bank Manager Nezam Uddin was rescued by the Rapid Action Battalion. An hour-long gunfight broke out between the police and the armed men in Thanchi following his rescue.
The KNF has been accused of involvement in the attacks, over which six cases have been filed.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina instructed the chief of the armed forces to conduct joint raids against the KNF, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told the media on Saturday after visiting Bandarban.