Robbers in Army-Style Dress Loot Gold and Cash from Expatriate's Home in Noakhali

A robbery has taken place at an expatriate's home in Noakhali Sadar Upazila, where the robbers wore army-style clothing. The gang held family members hostage at gunpoint and looted four bhori of gold ornaments and 48,500 taka in cash, according to the family.

The robbery took place at around 4:30am on Sunday (October 25) at the home of Abu Dhabi expatriate Md. Nesar Ahmed in Bakshinagar village, Ward No. 1 of Kaladrap Union in the upazila. Members of the family, including the expatriate's wife and son, were at home at the time.

According to family members and local residents, a gang of 10 to 12 robbers arrived at the house at around 4:30am on two motorcycles and a CNG-run auto-rickshaw. After reaching the house, seven of them entered the home carrying weapons.

Of the seven who went inside, three were dressed in army-style clothing. Another three to four robbers stood guard outside the house with weapons, so that no one could approach and no family member could get out.

Once inside, the robbers held Nesar Ahmed's wife Nurjahan Begum and son Raihan Hossain at gunpoint. They then looted four bhori of gold ornaments kept in the house and 48,500 taka in cash, family members said.

When local people noticed what was happening and moved towards the house during the robbery, the robbers introduced themselves as members of the army. They said they had come to arrest an accused person. Hearing this, the local people initially stepped back.

Later, however, as more people began gathering around the house, the situation changed. Seeing the crowd grow, the robbers quickly fled the scene. The pre-dawn incident has spread panic across the area.

Md. Nazrul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sudharam Model Police Station, said, 'No one from the victim's family has come to file a case over the incident yet. The gang took four pairs of earrings, two gold chains and 45,500 taka in cash from the expatriate's house.' The cash figure given by the police differs slightly from the family's account.

The OC added, 'The members of the gang did not wear genuine army uniforms. Some of them wore clothing made in the style of army dress.' In other words, the gang's strategy was to create a scene resembling a law-enforcement raid by using disguises.

The pre-dawn robbery targeting an expatriate's home has created fresh anxiety about security in the area. Many local residents say that because of the army-style disguises, no one could come forward to resist in the first moments, and the gang took advantage of exactly that.

Police said no case has yet been filed by the victim's family over the incident. Once a case is filed, steps will be taken to identify and arrest the gang members on the basis of an investigation, according to sources concerned. Local residents have demanded the swift arrest of those involved.