A case has been filed at Mirzapur police station in Tangail three days after a robbery and the assault of female passengers on a moving bus, an incident that has raised serious questions about passenger safety on highways.
The case was lodged early on Friday (21 February) by Omar Ali, a passenger on the bus, who acted as the complainant, said Sub-Inspector Khairul Bashar, the duty officer at Mirzapur police station.
Omar Ali recounted that he boarded the bus at 11pm on Monday, only to fall victim to an armed robbery. Since the incident, he had been preoccupied with seeking justice.
At around 4am on Friday, he arrived at Mirzapur police station in a police vehicle, accompanied by fellow passenger Sohag Hossain and their business partner, Abu Hanif.
His signature was taken on the First Information Report (FIR), although he was not read its contents.
He provided a statement detailing the robbery and the harassment of two female passengers but remains unaware of what was officially recorded in the case file.
Omar Ali further alleged that the bus supervisor, Suman Islam, 33, the driver, Babul Ali, 30, and his assistant, Mahbub Alam, 28, were present at the police station, also intending to file a case.
He expressed dismay at their presence, claiming they were complicit in the crime.
"They should be the accused, yet they are here to file a case. I cannot make sense of what is happening," he remarked.
Attempts to reach Mirzapur Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Mosharraf Hossain, for a statement were unsuccessful as he did not respond to calls.
However, duty officer SI Khairul Bashar confirmed that a case had been filed regarding the bus robbery.
He noted that he had not seen the FIR and was therefore unable to comment on its exact contents.
The robbery occurred on Monday night aboard a bus operated by "Amri Travels" under the Unique Road Royals fleet, en route from Dhaka to Rajshahi.
According to passengers, the bus departed from Gabtoli, Dhaka, at 11pm, and the robbery commenced at 12:35am.
The ordeal continued for three hours before the perpetrators disembarked at 3:52 am, returning the bus to its original route.
Following the robbery, the driver and his crew stalled the journey, claiming a fuel shortage.
Only after persistent pressure from passengers did they resume the trip to Rajshahi.
The victims initially sought to file a case at Mirzapur police station, but with the Officer-in-Charge absent, they were turned away.
The bus later reached Baraigram police station between 11am and 11am on Tuesday.
Law enforcement detained the bus supervisor, driver, and assistant following the incident, but they were subsequently released on bail.
