In a single night, miscreants broke into five adjacent houses in Shibganj Upazila of Chapainawabganj, looting cash, gold ornaments, crops, furniture, and various valuables. The incident took place late Sunday night (October 18) in the Batarmor area under Daipukuria Union of Shibganj Upazila. All the affected homeowners are accused individuals currently absconding in connection with a murder case.
The looting occurred across 15 rooms within the five houses under the cover of night. Victims also claimed that land deeds and other essential documents were stolen from one of the residences. The simultaneous burglary at five neighboring houses has sparked widespread panic in the locality. The burglaries occurred at the homes of Monirul Islam, Banarul Islam, Dabir Ali, Mukhles Ali, and Enamul Haque in Batarmor village.
Affected families alleged that the male members had been absent for the past two weeks after being named accused in a murder case. Women members were also unable to stay at home during the night due to fear. Female relatives claimed that police visited their homes late at night, resorting to threats and harassment. Taking advantage of the empty houses, criminals executed the robbery.
Local residents, female family members, and relatives of the absconding accused stated that women left their homes before Sunday evening, as they had been doing over the past few days. Upon returning the following morning, they discovered the locks of every room and piece of furniture broken, with valuable items, cash, and gold ornaments missing. Broken padlocks and scattered furniture were left behind in every room.
Mayeda Khatun, a local housewife, said, "My father-in-law is an accused in a case and has been absconding for a while. Neither my husband nor my brother-in-law is accused in this case. Yet, we women are not safe at home either, so I was staying at my father's house. Taking advantage of this, someone broke the locks and looted everything. We don't know who did this, but we demand justice."
Moriom Begum, wife of Mukhles Ali, stated, "They took all valuable items from our two rooms. A refrigerator, land documents, nearly two lakh taka in cash, and other goods are missing. No one was at home at night, so we don't know when this happened. We also want a fair investigation into the murder case so the real culprits are punished, but why such cruelty toward us?"
Matiur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Shibganj Police Station, said, "We were unaware of the robbery at five houses in a single night. No written complaint has been received at the police station until Tuesday (October 20) noon. If a complaint is lodged, necessary legal action will be taken following an investigation." The OC added that two accused individuals have been arrested so far in connection with the murder case.
On October 4, a manpower exporter named Babul Akhtar (35) was tied up and beaten to death in the Batarmor area of Daipukuria Union. Police suspect the murder stemmed from disputes over sending individuals abroad and the death of a young man in the Russia-Ukraine war. Although the male members of the looted homes are accused in this murder case, their families claim they were not involved in the crime.
— Daily Best News Desk • Fearless in the search for truth
Reported by Md. Tarek Rahman, Chapainawabganj Correspondent • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
