CU Correspondent
University administration hands over suspects to police
Two brother rickshaw pullers were arrested and handed over to police on Wednesday for allegedly robbing and harassing a group of visitors at Chittagong University campus.
The arrested men are Md Lokman Ali (32) and Md Rashed (30). Authorities believe they are members of a local gang.
According to university and victim sources, four young men and three young women from Hathazari came to visit CU campus. They took Lokman Ali’s rickshaw from Gate No 1 to go to Zero Point. However, instead of taking them to their destination, Lokman took them to an isolated area in the South Campus.
After reaching there, Lokman called his brother Rashed. The two brothers intimidated the visitors, snatched their mobile phones and wallets, and harassed the young women. They also held them captive and demanded Tk 10,000.
Victim Md Sakib and Sayem Uddin Siam said, “We came to visit the university with friends. We took a rickshaw from Gate No 1 to go inside the campus. Later, we had an argument with the rickshaw puller at Zero Point area. He then took us towards South Campus and called his brother Rashed. They forcibly took our mobile phones and all the money from our wallets. They also harassed the girls with us. Later, they threatened to hand us over to the university security department and demanded Tk 10,000.”
Accused Md Lokman Ali claimed, “After the boys and girls got on my rickshaw, they started doing obscene things, which I first noticed in the rickshaw’s looking glass. When we reached Zero Point area, I asked them to wait for their other friends, and I took two of them towards South Campus. I took the mobile to inform their families. The allegations they are making are completely false.”
Security guards Md Didarul Islam and Md Sumon said, “We were on patrol in the afternoon. On the road at Kata Pahar, we saw two rickshaw pullers arguing with three girls and four boys who were visitors. When we asked them to hand over the visitors to us since the incident happened in the university area, Lokman asked ‘Who are you? Why should I give them to you?’ Both Lokman and Rashed threatened us. We then tactfully put two of the visitors in another rickshaw and brought them to the security office via Zero Point. We asked the two rickshaw drivers to come with us.”
University Proctor Hossain Shahid Sarwardy said, “In the past, both visitors and university students have been harassed by such a gang. We have been trying to bring this gang under the law for a long time.”
He added that the security department has filed a general diary (GD) as the plaintiff, and the process of filing a case against them through the victims is ongoing. The two accused have been sent to Hathazari Police Station through police outpost.