Armed robbers who stormed the Rupali Bank Jinjira branch in Keraniganj have surrendered after three and a half hours, freeing all clients and employees unharmed.
RAB-10 Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police Taposh Karmakar said, "The three robbers who demanded Tk 1.5 million, surrendered with three firearms to the joint forces.
They have been taken to Keraniganj Model Police Station."
The incident unfolded around 2:00pm on Thursday when the robbers targeted the branch in Chunkutia. Sixteen people, including four bank officials and 12 clients, were held hostage.
The standoff ended at 5:30pm as the robbers agreed to surrender. Taposh said, "All hostages were unharmed. The robbers were taken into custody without bloodshed."
"Three robbers, aged between 20 and 30, surrendered their three firearms and boarded our vehicles. They responded to the call for surrender by members of the army, RAB and police," the RAB official said.
Describing the negotiations, Taposh said, "We proposed a safe surrender. They eventually agreed, requesting protection from an angry crowd outside. The robbers were safely removed and handed over to the police."
Keraniganj Model Police Station chief Sohrab Al Hossain said, "The robbers are in custody, and we are interrogating them for details."
Locals locked the bank gates from outside when they heard that robbers had entered the bank, said Md Jahangir Alam, Additional Superintendent of Police of Keraniganj Circle.
Law enforcers then rushed to the scene and surrounded the building. They attempted to negotiate a surrender of the robbers while preparing for a potential raid if needed. A nearby mosque's loudspeaker was used to urge the robbers to surrender.
The news of the robbery drew a large crowd outside the bank, disrupting traffic on the adjacent road. Police, RAB and army personnel worked to control the situation and clear the area.
