Stolen church bell recovered

Police have recovered a 70kg brass bell stolen from St Paul School and Church in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur.

The bell was recovered intact at around 2:50am on Thursday from beside a garbage bin on Zakir Hossain Road. It was wrapped in a white polythene bag.

Mohammadpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Abdul Halim confirmed the recovery on Friday. He said the bell was stolen sometime after 12:03am on Wednesday from an open area on the second floor of the church at 92 Asad Avenue, opposite the WASA building.

Police were informed of the theft at 4:35am that day and visited the scene. They later launched a joint operation involving several teams to recover the bell and identify those involved.

The OC said the thief or thieves abandoned the bell and fled as police intensified the operation. It was later recovered beside the garbage bin on Zakir Hossain Road.

Police said the church’s CCTV recording function had been switched off from 12:03am on Wednesday, shortly before the theft.

Investigators are analysing CCTV footage from nearby institutions and using informants to identify those involved.

The recovered bell has been kept in police custody, while efforts to identify and arrest those responsible are continuing, the OC said.