A group consisting of three individuals has been arrested for attempting to rob the Rupali Bank’s Zinzira branch in Keraniganj, with claims that the act was motivated by a desire to assist a kidney patient, according to Dhaka District Superintendent of Police Ahmed Muyeed.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday evening (19 December), Muyeed stated, "We received an alert via the national emergency hotline 999 about an attempted robbery and hostage situation at the bank. Responding promptly, we reached the scene and negotiated with the perpetrators to ensure the safe recovery of the hostages. Initially, the weapons were secured from the suspects, and subsequently, they were persuaded to surrender into police custody."
Preliminary interrogation revealed that the suspects were influenced by films or video games and were acting out a fantasy.
They had managed to secure Tk 18 lakh in a bag, which they intended to use partly for aiding a kidney patient and partly for purchasing iPhones.
The three arrested individuals—Sharafat, Shifat, and Nirob—hail from Keraniganj and Kashiani in Gopalganj. The officer-in-charge of Keraniganj Model Police Station, Sohrab Al Hasan, confirmed that the four pistols recovered from the suspects were toy guns.
Additional items seized included two knives and a drill machine.
They suspects entered the bank at approximately 2pm on Thursday.
Upon learning of the robbery, a nearby mosque’s loudspeaker broadcast the news, prompting hundreds of locals to surround the bank and lock the doors from outside.
Law enforcement agencies, including police, RAB, fire service, and army personnel, swiftly arrived and cordoned off the area.
As news of the robbery spread, onlookers thronged to the location, forcing authorities to shut down traffic on both sides of the adjacent main road for safety.
Repeated announcements through the mosque's loudspeakers urged the robbers to surrender.
By evening, under pressure from law enforcement, the suspects capitulated without resistance.
