Criminals loot construction materials of Ctg stadium
Armed criminals early Saturday took away valuable materials worth Tk 8 lakh brought for the under-construction floodlight and roof canopy of Chittagong Zahur Ahmad Chowdhury Divisional Stadium.
The stadium is one of the venues of the next World Cup cricket.
The theft has made completion of the venue by the deadline uncertain, said the officials concerned.
Two firms, Transcom Limited and QH Masud, were constructing the floodlight towers and roof canopy respectively.
According to locals and police, a gang of criminals numbering about 20 arrived at the stadium on a truck at around 2:30am and asked the night guards to open the main gate for loading some equipment brought for construction work.
As the guards opened the gate the criminals took them hostage at gunpoint, loaded the materials on the truck and left the place.
Materials including steel angle, joint plate for under construction flood-light of Transcom Limited worth Tk 5 lakh and iron beam and angle for the roof canopy worth Tk 3 lakh were taken away, said the sources.
Sub Assistant Engineer Mokhlesur Rahman of National Sports Council, Chittagong confirmed the incident.
"Equipment for construction works are sometimes brought at night and that's why the night guards opened the gate," he said.
October was the targeted month for completion of the required construction works for the venue, he said fearing a delay in the construction.
Project Supervisor Wahid Nasir of Transcom Limited said the imported equipment arrived just a day before the incident and they were scheduled to start work of the flood-light towers on Sunday.
A robbery case was filed with Pahartali police station in this connection on Saturday evening.
Officer-in-charge (OC) Bashir Ahmad Khan said they conducted drives in several areas in search of the criminals and stolen materials.
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