Robbery at Hindu businessman’s home in Narsingdi during Puja holidays: Tk 50 lakh and gold ornaments looted

Sukhan Chowdhury, 50, had sold land in his village to raise the money for the business and kept the proceeds in a wardrobe at his flat before leaving for the Puja holidays. The theft took place at a flat on the second floor of a seven-storey building owned by Naresh Chandra Saha in the Sebasangha area of Narsingdi town. Sukhan, who works at Eva Dyeing in Shekherchar of Narsingdi Sadar upazila, has been living in the flat with his wife and children for five years. His ancestral home is in Guhiala village of Barhatta upazila in Netrokona. He filed a written complaint with Narsingdi Model Police Station on Friday night. “I sold land in my village and brought Tk50 lakh home to set up a dyeing factory. Negotiations to buy one had also been finalised. My wife's gold ornaments were kept there too. As we were away, everything was stolen at some point over the past six days,” Sukhan said. “The thieves have stolen my lifelong dream of setting up a dyeing factory,” he added. His wife, Purabi Pandit, said they locked the flat and left for their village home around noon on Sunday to celebrate Durga Puja. They returned at around 8pm on Friday but could not open the flat door despite having the key. Their suspicion grew when the door remained shut even after they cut the lock. They then went to the rear of the building and discovered that the window grille had been cut. With help from local residents, Sukhan entered the flat through the window and opened the door from inside. The family found furniture and clothes scattered across the rooms and the wardrobe broken open. The Tk50 lakh and eight bhori of gold ornaments were missing. Officer-in-Charge of Narsingdi Model Police Station MR Al Mamun said police had received a written complaint and were collecting CCTV footage from the area. He said efforts were under way to identify those involved and bring them to justice.