Bandarban court sends 54 KNF members to jail for bank robberies

BANDARBAN CORRESPONDENT

A court in Bandarban has sent 54 members of the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) involved in bank robberies in the district’s Ruma and Thanchi, rejecting their bail, officials said on Tuesday.

The accused were presented in the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, where Judge Md Nazmul Hosain ordered their detention, said Hosain Mohammad Rayhan Kazemi, additional police superintendent of Bandarban district.

Advocate Kazi Mohtul Hosain, who represented the defendants, said that none of the accused were involved in the bank robberies and that he would appeal to the court for bail after the Eid holidays.

KNF members, dressed in uniforms and armed, had recently raided the Sonali and Krishi Banks, kidnapping a manager and stealing Tk 1.8 million, alongside assaulting locals and snatching their mobile phones.

Following the incidents, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, and other officials inspected the crime scenes, vowing to increase law enforcement presence and conduct joint operations to restore peace.

Army Chief General S M Shafiuddin Ahmed also visited the areas, stating that the government would counter the militants’ actions with coordinated military and law enforcement efforts.