Victims told Prothom Alo that 10 to 12 masked men armed with firearms stopped vehicles, held passengers at gunpoint and took them into nearby forest areas, where they beat and robbed them.
TBS Report
20 October, 2026, 11:00 am
Last modified: 20 October, 2026, 11:10 am
Masked armed robbers looted passengers of at least 50 to 60 vehicles on the Eidgaon-Eidgarh-Baishari road in Cox's Bazar yesterday (19 October), taking cash, mobile phones and valuables from more than 100 people, reports Prothom Alo.
The robberies took place in two phases at Himchhari Dhala, along a hilly stretch of the road through Eidgaon and Ramu upazilas. Most of the vehicles targeted were CNG-run auto-rickshaws and motorcycles. No one had been arrested in connection with the incidents by yesterday evening.
Victims told Prothom Alo that 10 to 12 masked men armed with firearms stopped vehicles, held passengers at gunpoint and took them into nearby forest areas, where they beat and robbed them.
Eidgaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge ATM Sifatul Mazdar confirmed the incidents to Prothom Alo, saying local criminals had blocked the road, robbed passengers and fled into the forest. Police teams were conducting operations to arrest them, and patrols had been intensified along the 17km road. However, he could not confirm the number of vehicles looted.
Md Rabiul Islam, manager of a non-governmental organisation's Eidgarh branch, said he was travelling by motorcycle from Eidgaon Bazar to Eidgarh with another person around noon when the robbers stopped them at Himchhari Dhala.
The attackers took them into the nearby forest, beat them and stole Tk1.2 lakh, two mobile phones and documents before releasing them, he told Prothom Alo.
For nearly two hours, robbers intercepted passing traffic, holding up and looting passengers from 50 to 60 auto-rickshaws and motorcycles before fleeing, according to Rabiul. Police arrived around 3pm but failed to detain anyone, he added.
Abdul Hakim, an accountant at another NGO's Eidgarh branch, said robbers stopped the auto-rickshaw he was travelling in with two others, took them into the forest and beat them. They stole Tk1.5 lakh and bank cheque books, he told Prothom Alo.
Hakim said robberies and abductions for ransom were frequent along the road, but passengers lacked effective security measures.
Another victim, Eidgarh resident Mohammad Tarek, said his mobile phone was stolen when robbers stopped the CNG-run auto-rickshaw he was travelling in with four others around 6:30am. He jumped from the moving vehicle to escape.
People at the scene told Prothom Alo that the robberies occurred around 8am and noon and continued for about two and a half hours in total.