Eight robbers killed in N'ganj mob beating

A mob, brought together by a call over loudspeakers from mosques, beat eight robbers to death when they were taking away rice sacks at Araihazar of Narayanganj early yesterday, police and locals said.

The locals also wounded four robbers when they broke into a shop in Purindabazar market on Dhaka-Sylhet Highway and were loading the rice sacks on their truck.

Police recovered seven bodies from the spot while another died at the Araihazar Upazila Health Complex hours later.

Ghotok Rony alias Gothon, 30, Rubel Hossain, 52, Jewell Titu, 30, and Shawkat, 30, were identified by police as four of the eight deceased. Their bodies were sent to Narayanganj General Hospital for autopsies.

Mob killings continue unabated in the country with more than 100 people getting killed every year. The offenders seldom face trial in a society that seems to be plagued by a culture of impunity, said rights activists.

According to rights body Ain O Salish Kendra, 104 people were killed in mob beating between January and September this year alone. At least 127 were killed in 2014, at least 128 in 2013, and 126 in 2012.

People's lack of respect for the law and their growing distrust in law enforcement agencies were also major reasons behind extra-judicial killings, the rights activists said.

THE ROBBERY

Zaman, a security guard of the market, was tied up along with his co-worker Motalib by the robbers.

He said at least 25 robbers stopped their truck near the market around 4:15am and four to five of them got down and told him that there were rice in the truck for Gafur Bhuiyan's shop.

"At one stage of our conversation, they tied me and Motalib up, gagged us and pushed us to the ground," he said, adding that the robbers then broke into Gafur Bhuiyan's shop named "Bhai Bhai Store".

Several robbers were on guard while others loaded the rice onto their truck, he said.

Around 20 minutes later, Zaman was able to get loose and he went straight to Purindabazar Jame Mosque, which was about 20 metres away from the market.

Zaman said he told the people at the mosque about the incident and an announcement was made from the mosque's horn speakers. He later heard similar announcements from nearby mosques as well.

This prompted villagers, many of whom were up for or on Fazr prayers, to attack the alleged robbers with iron rods and sticks. The mob chased the robbers and beat them up mercilessly, police and locals said.  

Additional Superintendent of Narayanganj Police Mohibul Islam Khan's account of what had happened was very close to Zaman's. He said the victims were members of a gang.

A case for murder and another for robbery were filed with Araihazar Police Station. Police seized the truck loaded with 118 sacks of rice, some local weapons, and four mobile phones.

Of the injured, Sabbir, Manik, and Sajib Mia received treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and were later taken to Araihazar Police Station. Lokman was taken into police custody after first aid.

Most of the victims hail from Mymensingh. According to Lokman, one Mizan employed him "for a rice loading" job. He also told police that they set off from Tejgaon with 10-15 men on the truck in the wee hours and more people joined them in Jatrabari, reports our Narayanganj correspondent.

Identifying the body of Ghotok Rony at Araihazar Police Station yesterday afternoon, his wife Nazma Begum and seven-year-old daughter Sadia Moni broke down in tears.

Nazma told The Daily Star that Rony was a trucker and that she did not know anything about his involvement in any robbery.

"My husband went out for work from our Shanir Akhra home around 10:00am on Wednesday and I could not reach him since Wednesday evening," she said.

Talking to this paper, a good  number of locals said they were fuming as at least 10 major robberies were carried out at businesses and homes in Purindabazar in this year alone. They claimed that police had done nothing after those robberies.

They also said police was late in coming to the scene yesterday even though they had a check post just a kilometre away.

Only a month ago, robbers made away with 196 sacks of rice from a shop at Bagbari market around two kilometres away.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal at a programme in the capital said there was no conspiracy behind the deaths of the eight people. It had happened following a robbery.