Culture & Society

Armed gang loots 50-60 vehicles, holds over 100 passengers in Cox's Bazar

Masked men blocked the Eidgaon-Eidgar-Baishari road at Himchhari Dhala in two daylight attacks, taking travellers into the forest and beating them before fleeing. Police say no one has been arrested.

ScrollBeat DeskPublished: 20 Oct 2026, 01:37

A hilly coastal road in Cox's Bazar district, used here as a file photo. The robbery happened on the Eidgaon-Eidgar-Baishari road. — The Cox's Bazar–Teknaf Marine Drive, a hilly coastal road in Cox's Bazar district. File photo. Mohammed Tawsif Salam / Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

10-12 masked armed men stopped vehicles at Himchhari Dhala in two attacks on Monday
At least 50-60 vehicles and more than 100 passengers were affected, victims and police say
No arrests had been made by Monday evening; police increased patrols on the 17km road

A group of masked armed men stopped vehicles on a hilly road in Cox's Bazar on Monday and robbed more than 100 passengers, taking many of them into the nearby forest and beating them, according to police and victims.

The attacks took place in two phases, around 8am and again around midday, at Himchhari Dhala on the Eidgaon-Eidgar-Baishari road, which runs through the hills of Eidgaon and Ramu upazilas. Victims said the gang, made up of 10 to 12 men, held up 50 to 60 vehicles, mostly CNG-run autorickshaws and motorcycles, over about two and a half hours.

Eidgaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge ATM Sifat-ul Mazdar confirmed the robberies. He said local criminals had blocked the road, looted the vehicles and fled into the forest. Several police teams were sent to search the area and patrols were increased along the 17-kilometre road, but no arrests had been made by Monday evening, he said. The officer could not confirm the exact number of vehicles involved.

Victims described being forced off the road and taken into the forest. Robiul Islam, manager of an NGO's Eidgar branch, said he was riding a motorcycle from Eidgaon Bazar to Eidgar around noon with another person when the gang stopped them. They were beaten and robbed of Tk1.2 lakh in cash, two mobile phones and documents, he said.

Abdul Hakim, an accountant at another NGO's Eidgar branch, said he was travelling in an autorickshaw with two others when armed men intercepted them. They were taken into the forest, assaulted and robbed of Tk1.5 lakh and a bank cheque book, he said.

Another victim, Mohammad Tarek, said he escaped by jumping from a moving autorickshaw after the gang stopped it in the morning. His mobile phone was taken.

Residents of the area said robberies and kidnappings for ransom have recurred on the road, and called for stronger security for commuters. Police said they were continuing operations in the forested sections.

The road is a busy link for people travelling between Eidgaon, Eidgar and Baishari, with long stretches passing through remote hills and forest.

Sources & further reading

Prothom Alo: armed men loot 50-60 vehicles in Cox's Bazar Channel i: masked men loot 50-60 vehicles in Cox's Bazar

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Family says Cumilla man lured into Russian army died in Ukraine war

Mohammad Sagar, 24, went to Russia in 2025 to work in a bakery. His family says a broker promised him Tk30 lakh to join the army, and a friend's message last week brought news of his death.

ScrollBeat Desk20 Oct 2026, 01:38Open this article

A military recruitment office in Yaroslavl, Russia, used as a file photo. The article reports a Cumilla family's account of a man joining the Russian army. — A military recruitment office in Yaroslavl, Russia. File photo. Monedula / Wikimedia Commons

A family in Cumilla's Chandina upazila is waiting for confirmation after a message from Russia said that 24-year-old Mohammad Sagar, who had joined the Russian army, was no longer alive.

Sagar's friend in Russia told his sister by phone on Saturday, 17 October, that he had died, his family said. The friend did not say when or how Sagar died, and the family has not been able to reach him since for more details.

Sagar, the youngest of three sisters and two brothers, left school early and worked as a rickshaw-van driver at a rod and cement shop in Chandina to help support his parents. In mid-2025 he went to Russia with help from the shop's manager, paying Tk6 lakh, and found work in a bakery earning about Tk70,000 a month, according to his family.

While in Russia, he met a Bangladeshi broker who, the family says, offered him Tk30 lakh in a one-time payment to join the Russian military. Sagar left the bakery and joined the army in May this year. His contact with his family stopped after that.

His uncle, Abdul Awal, said he had warned Sagar against enlisting when Sagar told him about the plan. "He did not even finish primary school. How would he serve in a foreign army? A broker there misled him and put him into the Russia-Ukraine war as a soldier," Awal said.

Sagar sent Tk3 lakh to his bank account before he went to the front, his uncle said. His father, Kabir Hossain, a vegetable trader who has been ill for a long time, said the family borrowed money to send him abroad. "I have not been able to speak to my son for four or five months. Now I hear that my son is no more. I want to know whether he is really dead. If he is, I want to see his body at least once," he said. His mother, Delowara Begum, was left speechless by the news, relatives said.

Chandina Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Ashraful Haque told Prothom Alo that the administration had sent municipal staff to the family's home after learning of the report. He said there was no confirmed information beyond the friend's message and that officials were looking into the matter.

The case echoes warnings from Bangladesh authorities about trafficking rings that recruit young men for the Russian military. On 14 October, the Special Response Battalion said a ring had lured at least 30 Bangladeshis with promises of construction jobs, confiscated their passports and phones, and handed them to the Russian military. At least 20 of those recruits were killed in drone strikes, including 17 on their first day at the front, the unit said. Two alleged ringleaders were arrested.

Sagar's family is now seeking help to establish what happened to him and, if his death is confirmed, to bring his body home.

Sources & further reading

The Business Standard: Cumilla youth killed in Russia-Ukraine war, family says Prothom Alo: family learns of Sagar's death from a friend's message

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Christiane Amanpour to leave CNN in June 2027 after 43 years

The chief international anchor will end her daily CNN International show this year, move to a weekly programme and leave the network in June.

ScrollBeat Desk20 Oct 2026, 01:17Open this article

Christiane Amanpour at the 2011 Time 100 gala in New York. CNN announced on 19 October 2026 that she will leave the network in June 2027 after 43 years. David Shankbone / Wikimedia Commons

Christiane Amanpour, CNN's chief international anchor, will leave the network in June 2027 after 43 years, the channel said on Monday.

CNN chief executive Mark Thompson told staff in a message that Amanpour had thought carefully about the decision and that the two had discussed it over several months. He called her one of the industry's most trusted and loved journalists.

Amanpour, 68, said she had spent months considering the move. "After thinking carefully for several months ... I've decided to separate from CNN, my partner of 43 fantastic years," she said in a video statement, adding that the partnership had lasted longer than many marriages.

Her daily CNN International programme will end this year. She will then present a weekly edition of Amanpour and continue reporting for the network until she leaves in June.

Amanpour joined CNN in 1983 and built her reputation reporting from conflict zones. Her assignments took her to the first Gulf War, Bosnia, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, Iran and Gaza. She has interviewed leaders including Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Muammar Gaddafi, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hassan Rouhani.

Her departure comes shortly after Paramount Skydance completed its $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, which brought CNN and CBS News under the same ownership. David Ellison, the new owner, has faced criticism from lawmakers who say CBS News coverage was tailored to favour President Donald Trump.

Amanpour will also continue her podcast, The Ex Files, with her former husband Jamie Rubin. Her PBS programme, Amanpour & Company, is scheduled to end in December 2026.