Customs Officer Bairagi killed after being thrown from moving autorickshaw: RAB

A gang of muggers was behind the killing of a customs official in Cumilla, who died after being thrown from a moving autorickshaw following a robbery at knifepoint, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said.

At a press briefing in Dhaka on Monday (April 27), RAB-11 Commanding Officer Lt Col HM Sazzad Hossain said a four-member gang targeted Bullet Bairagi after he got off a bus in the Jagarjhuli area while returning from Chattogram on Friday night.

Posing as driver and passengers, the suspects forced him into an autorickshaw, robbed him of his mobile phone, wallet and cash at knifepoint, and later pushed him out of the moving vehicle near Kotbari Bishwa Road, leaving him sustained critical head injuries and died on the spot.

RAB has arrested five suspects—Sohag, Ismail Hossain Jony, Imran Hossain Hridoy, Rahat Hossain Jewel and Sujon—describing them as members of a professional mugging ring. The victim’s mobile phone was recovered from Sujon.

RAB’s Legal and Media Wing Director Wing Commander MZM Intekhab Chowdhury said the group had long been targeting long-distance passengers at night, using CNG-run autorickshaws to carry out armed robberies.

Investigators said Bairagi, 35, an assistant revenue officer at Cumilla’s Bibirbazar land port under the Customs, Excise and VAT department, was returning from training in Chattogram at the time of the incident.

A case has been filed by the victim’s mother against unidentified persons, while RAB said further (operations) are underway to identify and arrest other members of the gang.