Two held over theft of Saudi riyals from Hajj camp

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with the theft of Saudi riyals from a Hajj pilgrim couple at the Ashkona Hajj Camp in the capital, recovering 17,500 riyals and Tk90,000 from the stolen amount.

The arrestees were identified as Habibur Rahman and Nadim.

The development was disclosed at a press briefing held at the Hajj camp in Ashkona on Friday.

Hajj Office Director Md Lokman Hossain, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Uttara Division) Mirza Tareq Ahmed Beg and ASP Jabir Husnain Sanib of Matlab Circle, among others, were present.

According to officials, a total of 22,000 Saudi riyals and Tk10,000 were stolen from the bag of a pilgrim Iman Ali on 22 April. CCTV footage showed a man dressed in traditional attire, posing as a pilgrim, stealing the money and fleeing.

Following the incident, Religious Affairs Minister Kazi Shah Mofazzal Houssain (Kaikobad) provided 2,000 riyals to the affected couple from personal funds, enabling them to travel to Saudi Arabia on schedule.

The victim’s son later filed a case with Airport Police Station against unidentified suspects.

Acting on intelligence, a joint team conducted a series of raids based on digital tracking, moving from Matlab to Daudkandi in Cumilla, then to Gazaria in Munshiganj, and finally to Khilkhet in Dhaka, where Habibur Rahman was arrested around 2:40am.

Based on his information, Nadim was later arrested from the Tongi Station Road area. Police also conducted raids at two residences of the alleged mastermind, Abdul Mannan, who remains at large.

During the raids, 17,500 Saudi riyals were recovered from the house of Mannan’s son-in-law, while Tk90,000 was seized from the residence of his second wife.

The operation was carried out jointly by a team from Matlab Police Station led by ASP Jabir Husnain Sanib and another team from City SB (North) led by Special SP Md Rezaul Karim.

Police said efforts are underway to arrest the prime accused.

Reacting to the recovery, victim Iman Ali, currently in Makkah, thanked the authorities and law enforcement agencies and demanded exemplary punishment for those involved.