Robbery at Two Hindu Homes in Bagharpara by Impersonators Claiming to Be Police: Money and Gold Looted

A robbery occurred in two homes in the Bagharpara upazila of Jashore by individuals impersonating police officers. Early this Saturday morning, a gang broke into the homes of Pashupati Debnath (70) and Bishwanath Debnath (52) in Barbhag village, stealing cash, mobile phones, and gold ornaments.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abdul Alim of Bagharpara Police Station told Prothom Alo that a police team had been dispatched to the scene upon receiving the report. Necessary measures are being taken regarding the incident.

The affected homeowners reported that the two brothers, Pashupati Debnath and Bishwanath Debnath, reside in adjacent houses in Barbhag village. At around 4:15 AM, 12 to 14 individuals, aged between 25 and 40, arrived at their homes on six motorcycles. Some of them were dressed in uniforms resembling those of the Detective Branch (DB) police, while others wore jackets that appeared similar to the navy-blue jackets used by police, but without any identifiable writing on them. All of them were wearing regular pants. One of the robbers carried a pistol and a walkie-talkie.

The victims stated that the robbers first approached the house of Bishwanath Debnath, calling out to him. Claiming that people from Chattogram were allegedly hiding illegal weapons in the house, they said they were there to conduct a search on behalf of the police station. They identified themselves as police officers and threatened to break the door if it wasn’t opened. Eventually, when the door was opened, they entered and began searching the rooms in a manner resembling a police raid. Meanwhile, some of them entered the neighboring house of Pashupati Debnath.

The robbers tied the hands of Pashupati Debnath and Bishwanath Debnath's son, Brajeshwar Debnath (25), behind their backs using plastic straps. Later, they confined Bishwanath Debnath, his wife, and their daughter in another room and forcibly took the keys to the cupboard from them. The gang ransacked all the rooms of both houses and also disarranged various worship items in the family temple.

Pashupati Debnath’s son, Debaprasad Debnath, said the robbery lasted for about 45 minutes. The robbers took 90,000 BDT, 2.5 tolas of gold ornaments, an iPhone, and a mobile phone from his uncle's house, and 5 tolas of gold ornaments, 5,000 BDT, his motorcycle’s driving license, and its documents from his father’s house. After completing the robbery, they fled on motorcycles. He lamented, "We have suffered great losses. We will file a complaint with the police station regarding this matter."