Five held over heist attempt at Sonali Bank

Five suspects have been arrested over the attempted heist at a Sonali Bank branch in Rajshahi city, police say. They were arrested in raids carried out in the city’s court area within hours of the Thursday night incident. The government-run bank’s Rajshahi Court Branch Manager Abdul Hadi filed a case at Rajparha Police Station following the failed efforts to break into it by digging a tunnel. The arrestees are ‘Selim’, 30, Nazmul Islam, 32, Manik Mia, 28, ‘Tutul’, 25, and ‘Minarul’. Rajparha OC Mehedi Hassan said police would seek five-day remand to interrogate them. The burglars fled when a pedestrian saw them at work and screamed. Police found tools, which were used in the heist attempt, at the scene. Earlier this year, robbers looted Tk 160 million from Sonali Bank’s Kishoreganj branch by digging a tunnel. In March, Tk 3 million was looted in similar fashion from the bank’s Adamdighi branch in Bogra. In September, around Tk 20 million was stolen from BRAC Bank’s Joypurhat branch using similar modus operandi, according to a news agency.