Authorities have confirmed that no money was stolen from the Sonali Bank branch in Ruma Upazila of Bandarban. Shahnewaz Khaled, the Special Superintendent of Police of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the Chittagong region, stated that the bank`s vault, targeted in the attempted robbery on Tuesday night, remains secure.
Shahnewaz Khaled made the announcement around 4:30 pm on Wednesday. He mentioned that teams from the Chittagong and Cox`s Bazar units of CID promptly responded to the incident, gathering evidence from the scene. Following a thorough investigation, the bank vault was opened, revealing that the entire amount of 1 crore 59 lakh 46 thousand rupees, deposited on Tuesday, remained untouched. It`s noteworthy that the vault requires two keys to be opened simultaneously, indicating that the armed assailants may have encountered difficulties in accessing it.
The attempted robbery was reportedly carried out by members of the new armed group, Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), targeting the Sonali Bank branch in Ruma, Bandarban.
In a separate incident on Wednesday afternoon, armed individuals launched attacks on two banks in Thanchi upazila. Sonali Bank and Krishi Bank were both targeted in the attacks.
Mohammad Mamun, the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Thanchi, provided insights into the incidents, stating, "Armed terrorists arrived at Thanchi market in the afternoon and looted money from Sonali Bank and Krishi Bank. Approximately 14-15 lakhs were taken from Sonali Bank, while the exact amount stolen from Krishi Bank remains undisclosed. Fortunately, there were no reports of abductions during the incidents."
