The suspect, 28-year-old Shakil Ahmed Rubel, was also involved in nearly 1,500 thefts in the past 10 years, police say
Published : 04 Sep 2022, 04:41 PM
Police detectives have arrested a man who abducted a female Dhaka University college student from Dhaka’s Kalyanpur while pretending to be a policeman.
The police say 28-year-old Shakil Ahmed Rubel was accused by over 50 women of abducting them, stealing their belongings and behaving rudely.
Three other associates of Rubel have also been arrested. They are Md Akash Sheikh, 22, Delowar Hossain, 55, and Md Habibur Rahman, 35. They were arrested in Dhaka and its surrounding areas on Saturday night.
Six cases have been filed at a number of police stations against Rubel, said Mohammad Harun Or Rashid, an additional police commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Detective Branch.
“He was involved in about 1,500 thefts in the past 10 years. He has abducted over 50 women and behaved indecently.”
Three different places in Gazipur were noted as Rubel’s permanent address. Police have yet to confirm which of them is his actual residence.
Police official Harun said Rubel developed a ‘strategy’ for his crimes.
“In most cases, the victims of the kidnapping and theft would not report the matter to the police. Though they lost their jewellery, mobiles and bags, they kept it secret because they were embarrassed about the indecent behaviour they endured. Rubel abducted a woman in Barishal in a similar manner.”
On Aug 25, Rubel pretended to be a policeman and ordered a third-year Dhaka University student onto his motorcycle, saying that he was taking her to the police station. He had a pistol on his belt and a walkie-talkie in hand at the time.
He took her to the Diabari area in Turag Thana and stole her gold chain, earrings and bag.
The student filed a case with Turag Police Station over the incident, noting that her robber had a sticker saying ‘police’ on his motorcycle.
The motorcycle Rubel used to abduct the student was stolen on Aug 12, Harun Or Rashid said. Rubel would rent out stolen motorcycles, he said.
The other three arrestees helped rent out Rubel’s motorcycles or aided him in other ways, but were not directly involved in the abductions and thefts.
“In our initial questioning, he confessed that he had used similar strategies to abduct women in Purbachal, Gazipur, Uttara, Chapainawabganj, Faridpur and other areas,” Harun said.
Police say Rubel did not have a fixed residence in Dhaka and instead stayed in various hotels. He had been arrested before and gone to jail.
Police are investigating how Rubel got hold of the police sticker. Police have urged students and guardians to "be wary" if someone on a motorcycle claims to be a policeman and attempts to detain someone on the street.
“Police do not detain people in this way,” Harun said. “You have to challenge them. If necessary, take the support of people nearby and inform them of the situation.”