Armed Robbery at Toll Booth with ‘Sophisticated Heavy Weapons’

Local Correspondent

In Kumarkhali, a group of masked assailants armed with sophisticated heavy weapons launched a brazen attack on a sand depot toll booth. They shot the manager and looted approximately two lakh taka. The incident occurred around 11 PM last night at the toll booth near the Syed Masud Rumi Bridge on the Gorai River in Kaya Union, according to Kumarkhali Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Solaiman Hossain.

The manager of the toll booth, Sabuj Hossain (35), was shot in the leg during the attack. Sabuj, son of Shahidul from Jagati area in Kushtia Sadar Upazila, has been admitted to Kushtia General Hospital for treatment.

Rakibul Islam, another staff member at the toll booth, recounted the incident: “Late at night, a group of 10-12 people arrived on four or five motorcycles and started assaulting the workers at the sand depot. They then tried to take money from the toll booth’s cash box. When the workers resisted, they shot Sabuj in the leg and stole the money. Before fleeing, they fired indiscriminately.”

Rakibul added that the robbers were armed with “sophisticated heavy firearms” and wore masks, making it impossible to identify them.

CCTV footage from the scene shows 11 masked individuals arriving on motorcycles from the Kasempur direction at 10:52 PM. They entered the toll booth while firing shots, each carrying heavy weapons. The footage also shows them assaulting the workers and manager Sabuj in front of the toll booth.

A partner of the contractor, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that the robbers stole around two lakh taka from the cash box. He mentioned that the CCTV footage could help police easily identify and arrest those involved. He also speculated that many of the weapons seen in the footage might be those looted or missing from police stations.

Sabuj, who is currently receiving treatment at the hospital, said, “Their faces were covered. They started beating us as soon as they arrived. Then they shot me in the foot and took the money.”

The incident has raised concerns about security in the area, and locals are demanding swift action from law enforcement to bring the perpetrators to justice.