Tk 12.12cr looted from petrol pump linked to PM Tarique Rahman’s maternal cousin

Published : Monday, 10 August, 2026 at 7:03 PM

Observer Online Report

Collected Photo

Tk 1.21 crore was allegedly looted from a vehicle carrying money from DL Petrol Pump to a bank in the Uttara area of the capital on Sunday morning. The petrol pump is owned by Tasin Akhter Haque, who is the maternal cousin of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

The incident took place between 10:00am and 10:30am on Sunday (August 9), on the southern side of the Uttara RAB-1 Battalion office. According to police and sources familiar with the incident, a group of unidentified men riding three motorcycles intercepted the vehicle carrying the money. They reportedly hit the vehicle to force it to stop and then threatened those inside with sharp weapons before snatching the bag containing the money and fleeing on motorcycles.

According to the case filed over the incident, the stolen money belonged to DL Petrol Pump. The pump’s manager, Karim, filed the case against unidentified individuals.

Sources associated with the petrol pump said the establishment handles transactions worth around Tk 45-50 lakh every day. Under its regular practice, the day’s sales proceeds are taken to a bank between 10:00am and 10:30am. As banks remain closed on Fridays and Saturdays, the cash collected on those two days is deposited together on the following working day, Sunday. As a result, a comparatively large amount of money was being transported to the bank on Sunday.

The same procedure was followed on Sunday when the cash was being taken to the bank. When the vehicle reached the area south of the Uttara RAB-1 Battalion between 10:00am and 10:30am, the attackers riding three motorcycles blocked its way. They then struck the vehicle and allegedly attacked with sharp weapons before taking the bag containing the cash and fleeing.

The case states that Tk 1,21,25,000 was looted in the incident.

Investigators suspect that the attackers may have had prior knowledge of the regular timing of the cash transfer. They are examining whether anyone knew that the petrol pump’s money was routinely taken to the bank between 10:00am and 10:30am.

Investigators are also looking into whether the perpetrators had prior information that Sunday’s cash would include the proceeds from both Friday and Saturday, and whether anyone had supplied information about the specific time and route used to transport the money.

Police have yet to identify those involved in the robbery. The registration numbers of the motorcycles used by the suspects have also not been identified, according to officials familiar with the investigation.

Multiple law enforcement units are working to recover the stolen money and identify and arrest those involved.

Speaking to Jago News, Uttara Division Deputy Commissioner of Police (DC) Tarek Ahmed Beg said there had been no significant progress in the investigation so far. “Several of our units are working on the case. We hope the suspects will be arrested and the mystery will be solved soon,” he said.

Tasin Akhter Haque is the younger son of the late Khurshid Jahan Haque, who was involved in BNP politics and was the younger sister of former prime minister Khaleda Zia. Khurshid Jahan Haque served as a reserved-seat lawmaker from 1991 to 1996. She was later elected as a member of parliament from the Dinajpur Sadar constituency in the 1996-2001 and 2002-2006 terms.

She also served as the Minister for Women and Children Affairs during the BNP government. Khurshid Jahan Haque was the elder sister of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, making Tasin Akhter Haque a maternal cousin of Tarique Rahman.

-HIS