Shahinur Rahman Sona, Rajshahi:

The Detective Branch (DB) of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) has uncovered the mystery behind the sensational theft at Karushree Jewellers in the Shaheb Bazar gold market area under Boalia Model Police Station in Rajshahi city.

Seven members of an internationally styled organised theft gang and a gold trader allegedly involved in purchasing the stolen goods have been arrested in connection with the incident. During separate raids in Dhaka and Khulna, police arrested the eight suspects and recovered 26 bhori of gold, 62 bhori of silver and Tk 25 lakh in cash earned from the sale of stolen goods.

The information was disclosed at a press conference organised by the Rajshahi Metropolitan Police on Thursday  noon.

According to the case details, at dawn on June 19, a gang of 10 to 12 unidentified thieves created a deliberate crowd in front of Kabushree Jewellers in the Shaheb Bazar area, pretending to be hawkers.

Later, using a carefully planned strategy, the gang opened the lock of a nearby shop and entered it. They then broke through the western wall of Karushree Jewellers and entered the jewellery shop.

The thieves reportedly stole approximately 200 bhori of gold, 1,200 bhori of silver, three boxes of gold nose rings and Tk 20 lakh in cash from a safe before fleeing the scene.

Following the incident, Turyo Sarker, owner of Karushree Jewellers, filed a case with Boalia Model Police Station.

Immediately after the incident, on the instructions of RMP Commissioner Mohammad Foyezul Kabir, the case was handed over to the DB for a proper investigation. The RMP's DB, Cyber Unit and CCTV Unit jointly conducted the investigation and succeeded in identifying the suspects.

According to DB police, the arrested gang members are extremely cunning and professional thieves. They allegedly never used the same mobile phone or SIM card more than once. They maintained communication using fake SIM cards registered in the names of other people without their knowledge.

The gang reportedly committed only one or two major thefts a year. Before targeting any location, they would stay there for at least three to four months to conduct reconnaissance. Four months before the theft in Rajshahi, members of the gang reportedly stayed at various hotels in the city, posing as businessmen, and closely observed the area before planning the robbery.

Acting on information obtained through technology and confidential sources, a special RMP team conducted an operation in Khulna and arrested one of the key members of the gang, Md Rustam Ali Sheikh, 64.

Later, police conducted raids at different locations in Dhaka and arrested six more suspects—Swapan, 62; Ujjal, 37; Riaz alias Sumon, 39; Abu Taleb, 54; Md Kalam Sheikh, 48; and Yunus, 45.

Based on information provided by the arrested suspects, police arrested gold trader Rabiul Hasan, 45, from Dhaka for allegedly purchasing the stolen goods.

At the time of his arrest, police recovered 26 bhori of stolen gold, 62 bhori of silver and Tk 25 lakh in cash from his possession.

However, as the accused gold trader Rabiul fell ill, he is currently undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital under police guard.

Police said that efforts are underway to arrest other absconding suspects involved in the theft and recover the remaining stolen goods.

The arrested suspects will be produced before a court today, and police will seek a seven-day remand for them.

RMP Media Spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner of Police Gaziur Rahman disclosed the information to journalists at the press conference. Other RMP officials were also present.