Man Mugged of 17 Gold Bars: ‘Younger brother staged it’

On December 22, two brothers were mugged of 17 gold bars in Rajshahi city.

The incident took place in the morning, when Dwijen Dhar (50) and Jiten Dhar (48) were taking the gold to a jewellery shop for selling. Four people in two motorbikes waylaid them and took away the bag. 

It happened too quick and smooth as if the muggers knew when and where to intercept the brothers.

Yesterday, four days into the incident, police found out that the mugging was staged by Jiten to pay off his debts.

Law enforcers arrested him from Puthia upazila with 16 of the mugged gold bars.

"He managed to sell one bar," said Golam Ruhul Kuddus, ADC of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police.

The official said Dwijen of Feni bought 17 gold bars, worth Tk 1.13 crore, from two jewelry shops in the district and brought  those to his brother Jiten's house in Rajshahi's Puthia on December 21.

The next day while they were walking from Bhadra Bus Stop to the city, they got mugged by the four people on two motorcycles. They identified themselves as "men of the  administration". 

Dwijen filed a case with Boalia Police Station. During investigation, police suspected Jiten for his "irrelevant" statement. During interrogation, he admitted that it  was he who planned and staged the mugging, said the official. Based on his  statement, police recovered the 16 gold bars from his house. He told police that he sold the other bar to a jewelry shop in Natore.

Jiten borrowed some Tk 1.40 crore while constructing his house in Puthia, said police. When he learnt about the gold bars, he saw it as an opportunity to pay of his loans.

He  hid the gold bars and replaced the bag with irons before heading out of home to sell the bars.

Police said they are trying to arrest Jiten's associates.