Staff Correspondent:

Three individuals were arrested in Savar in connection with a bus robbery and the alleged sexual assault of women on board in Rajshahi, police said.

Moreover, the duty officer of Mirzapur Police Station, Atikuzzaman, was suspended for his negligence of duty.

Tangail’s Superintendent of Police Mizanur Rahman disclosed the information at a press briefing on Saturday.

The arrestees are Shahidul Islam alias Muhit, 29, of Doulatpur of Manikganj district, Mohammad Sabuj, 30, of Jajira of Sariyatpur district and Md Sharifuzzaman alias Sharif, 28, of Savar of Dhaka district.

In a joint drive conducted by Tangail DB and Mirzapur police, the criminals were arrested from Genda in Savar area yesterday evening along with Tk 29,370, three robbed mobile phone sets and a knife.

The SP said that the arrestees are active members of inter-district robbers’ gang. Among the arrestees, Muhit is accused   in five cases, including two for bus robbery, filed with different police stations, he said.

The arrestees have already confessed to their crimes during the preliminary interrogation by police.

The robbery took place on a bus of “Amri Travels” under the Unique Road Royals service, which left Dhaka for Rajshahi on Monday night.

According to the passengers, the robbery continued for three hours on the bus, which had left Gabtali in Dhaka for Rajshahi at 11:00pm.

Initially, the bus supervisor, driver, and assistant were detained in connection with the robbery and alleged sexual assault, but they were granted bail by the court later.

Three days after the incident, a case was filed with Mirzapur Police Station in Tangail on Friday.

In his statement, the plaintiff, Omar Ali from Baraigram of Natore, mentioned that the robbers not only beat passengers and stole cash, mobile phones, and jewellery but also sexually assaulted two to three women aboard the bus.