Is spree of bank heists, kidnapping in Bandarban revenge for the arrest of KNF leader's brother?

Three banks in Bandarban were robbed and Sonali Bank's Ruma branch manager was kidnapped within a span of 16 hours — incidents that are igniting suspicions of being revenge for the arrest of the Kuki-Chin National Front leader Nathan Lanchew Bom's brother.

The brother, Lal Juhom Bom, was working as a senior officer (cash) at the Rowangchhari branch of Sonali Bank before the arrest, said Md Osman Gani, deputy general manager of Sonali Bank. 

According to the police officers of Rowangchhari station, Lal Juhom Bom was arrested at the end of 2022 on allegations of involvement with the Kuki-Chin – an insurgent outfit.

He has been in jail since then.

Officials suspect that the armed group KNF could have conducted the recent robbery and kidnapping of the manager at Sonali Bank as revenge for the arrest of the leader's brother.

The first robbery happened at Sonali Bank's Ruma branch around 8:30pm on Tuesday, followed by the second and third robberies at Sonali Bank's and Krishi Bank's Thanchi branches around noon on Wednesday.

Sonali Bank's Ruma branch Manager Nizam Uddin is still missing 36 hours after the kidnapping, as of the filing of this report.

Md Osman Gani, deputy general manager of Sonali Bank, said, "Since his [Lal Juhom Bom] arrest was handled by law enforcement, I don't have information on his connections to KNF or any hostile interactions they might have had with our bank."

He also highlighted the efforts to ensure the safety of their colleague Nizam Uddin, stating, "We are undertaking all procedures to rescue our colleague Nizam Uddin. The administration is very proactive."

To enhance security, the bank authorities temporarily halted operations in six branches, except for their main branch in Bandarban, he added.

The officer in charge (OC) of Rowangchhari station, Parvez Ali, stated, "I have been associated with this station for only the last three months. Lal Juhom Bom was arrested in 2022 and is currently in jail."

He, however, said the police are closely monitoring whether Lal Juhom Bom's arrest has any connection with the robbery and kidnapping of the manager at two Sonali Bank branches

The AC (Land) in charge of Ruma Upazila, Didarul Alam, said, "The administration is actively working to rescue the bank manager. Additional security has been provided to all banks in the Ruma area. Police and armed police are deployed at strategic locations, including Ruma Sadar."

How the attacks unfolded

On Tuesday night, locals reported that armed individuals attacked the Ruma upazila administration building and later targeted the Sonali Bank branch. About 20 people, including bank officials and security guards, were assaulted, and manager Nizam Uddin was abducted.

Didarul Alam, assistant commissioner (land) of Ruma upazila, said, "Around 8:30pm last night, a group of 70-80 individuals entered the mosque within the Upazila Complex boundary and shut the door. Many officials were attending Taraweeh prayers. 

"Initially, the assailants held everyone captive, subjected them to severe beatings, and robbed them of money and mobile phones.

Subsequently, they forcefully took the bank manager hostage at gunpoint and escorted him to the bank.

"It is believed that the manager was kidnapped because he was unable to unlock the bank's safe," he added.

The attackers looted firearms and ammunition belonging to law enforcement personnel (police and Ansar VDP) stationed at the bank.
They seized two sub-machine guns and 60 rounds of ammunition, eight Chinese rifles and 320 rounds of ammunition, and four shotguns and 35 rounds of ammunition.

After inspecting the site yesterday afternoon, Shah Newaz Khaled, additional deputy inspector general of CID Police Chattogram Range, said, "Two investigation teams from Cox's Bazar arrived at the crime scene, gathered all evidence from the bank, and inspected the entire amount of money in the vault, totalling Tk1.59 crore."

"The money remains untouched as the vault couldn't be breached; it remains intact," he added.

"The vault needs two keys to open together, and the armed men might not have been able to do it," said Shah Newaz, as quoted by Prothom Alo.

Earlier that morning, officials from Bandarban district administration, the superintendent of police, and senior Sonali Bank executives surveyed the premises. They thoroughly examined various rooms, including the bank's vault.

Following their inspection, Deputy Commissioner Shah Mojahid Uddin remarked, "Two CID investigation teams have gathered evidence and scrutinised the contents of the vault. CCTV footage has been obtained. Law enforcement agencies, including the police, BGB, and army, are diligently collaborating on this matter."

Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun also paid a visit to the site on the same day.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal confirmed the government's active response to the armed attacks and bank robberies in Bandarban's Ruma and Thanchi areas, attributing the violence to Kuki-Chin National Front.

Speaking to reporters at his ministry office in Dhaka, the minister detailed the assailants' tactics, including disrupting local electricity to facilitate their operations.

Emphasising that law enforcement operations are ongoing to gather more information and address the situation, he mentioned the potential involvement of the Army to support police and Border Guard Bangladesh efforts if necessary.

Ruma police station Officer-In-Charge (OC) Muhammad Shahjahan said, "Efforts are underway to rescue the bank manager."

The younger brother of the abducted Nizam Uddin, Assistant Sub-Inspector Mizanur Rahman, said, "We have been in Ruma since morning. The administration is actively involved. However, they have not yet found any trace of my brother."

Daylight robbery at two banks in Thanchi

On Wednesday afternoon, following the bank robbery in Ruma, incidents of robbery also occurred at Sonali Bank and Krishi Bank branches in Thanchi upazila.

Thanchi police station OC Md Jasim Uddin reported that around noon, a gang of 50-60 robbers raided and looted two bank branches in Thanchi Bazar.

Immediately after the robbery, the police and local administration visited the affected bank branches. Bank sources confirmed that approximately Tk17.5 lakh was stolen from the two banks.

According to locals, the robbers besieged Thanchi Bazar from 11am to 11:30am, seizing mobile phones from everyone at gunpoint in the bank and its vicinity. They then proceeded to enter the two banks.

Witnesses who went to withdraw money said that the robbers spent about five minutes inside the bank. During this time, they caused panic by firing shots and looting all the money before fleeing the scene.

Hlasuithowai Marma, the branch manager of Thanchi Krishi Bank, recounted that around noon, two jeeps arrived suddenly. The assailants entered Krishi Bank and Sonali Bank, detained the officers and employees of Krishi Bank in a separate room, and then took away Tk2.5 lakh in cash.

Md Osman Gani, deputy managing director (DGM-Bandarban) of Sonali Bank, said that upon entering the Thanchi branch, the robbers disarmed the security guard and looted Tk15 lakh from customers, the counter, and the vault, stashing the money in sacks.