In broad daylight, muggers in Bashabo and Turag in the capital yesterday stabbed two sales agents of distributors of bKash, a money transfer service provider, to rob Tk 16.5 lakh. They also shot another person who came forward to help.
According to bKash officials, employees of its distributor collect money of transfers made by people via mobile phones and deposit the cash in banks.
In Bashabo, three to four robbers armed with sharp weapons attacked Enamul Islam, 40, on Kadamtala Wasa Road around 2:30pm and took around Tk 8.5 lakh, claimed his colleague Rafiqul Islam.
“Enamul was about to get on a rickshaw after collecting  money from the area,” said Rafiqul Islam, who rushed Enamul to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
The muggers first tried to take away his handbag. As he resisted, they stabbed him in the chest and left hand and left the scene with the money.
Officer-in-Charge Babul Mia of Sabujbagh Police Station said the police heard about the incident and were looking for the suspects.
In Turag, six muggers took around Tk 8 lakh from sales agent Rana Mia, 22, at Nalbhog area around 11:45am, witnesses said.
The muggers, riding two motorbikes, reached the area where Rana  was collecting money. As he came out of a shop, they ambushed him and tried to take awaythe money at gunpoint.
Rana resisted and the muggers stabbed him on his left hand. Local trader Rupa Mia came forward to help but the muggers shot him in the leg and fled the scene.
Officer-in-Charge Abir Hossain of Turag Police Station said the police had received a complaint and were trying to identify the muggers.
Six days ago, in a similar              incident, bike-riding muggers shot another agent and took around Tk 10 lakh from him on the busy Rokeya Sarani.
Meanwhile, police detained a       local leader of the Bangladesh  Chhatra League with a firearm at the capital's Eskaton area when he was attempting to snatch Tk 5 lakh from a person.
Masud Parvez, 25, claimed himself to be the general secretary of Rampura unit Chhatra League, Officer-in-Charge Mashiur Rahman of Ramna Police Station told The Daily Star.
Masud along with his cohort Sourab halted Yusuf, a motor parts shop employee, at the staircase of          the Pubali Bank branch in Eskaton when he went there to  deposit Tk 5 lakh around noon, the OC said.
They tried to mug him at gunpoint but Yusuf pushed them aside and cried for help. Locals rushed to the spot and caught Masud, a resident of Chowdhurypara in Malibagh, who had a pistol loaded with three bullets, and gave him a mass beating, the police officer said.
Sourab managed to flee the scene.