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DHAKA, April 27, 2026 (BSS) - Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have arrested five individuals in connection with the killing of customs officer Bullet Bairagi (35), who was murdered during a robbery in Cumilla.

The detainees are identified as Imran Hossain Hriday (37), Mohammad Sohag (30), Ismail Hossain Jony (25), Mohammad Sujon (32), and Rahatul Rahman Jewel (27). RAB also recovered a CNG auto-rickshaw, machetes, and switch gears (a type of knife) from their possession.

At a press briefing held today at Karwan Bazar in the capital, RAB's Director of Legal and Media Wing, MZM Enthekhab Chowdhury, stated that the arrested individuals are active members of an organized mugging gang. 

The group reportedly operated by disguising themselves as drivers and passengers, targeting travelers arriving from distant areas. They would lure victims into CNG-run auto-rickshaws and attack them with sharp weapons to rob their belongings.

The suspects were arrested during raids conducted in different areas of Cumilla on Sunday. 

According to RAB, on Friday around 3:00 am, the suspects were waiting with their auto-rickshaw in Jagurjhuli Bishwaroad area of Cumilla. Bullet Bairagi was returning home from Chattogram after completing a training programme.

 When he arrived at the area, one of the suspects, Jewel, approached him and asked about his destination. Upon learning that he was heading to Jangalya, Sohag and Hriday took him into their vehicle.

During the journey, Sohag, Jony, and Hriday attacked Bairagi with sharp weapons. They robbed him of his mobile phone, cash, and bag. A struggle ensued, and at one point, the assailants pushed him out of the moving vehicle.

He sustained severe injuries to his head and face and died at the scene.

Family members reported that Bairagi had spoken to them several times while nearing home, but he never made it back. His body was recovered on Saturday morning beside a hotel near Kotbari on Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Cumilla.

A murder case was filed late Sunday night with Cumilla Sadar South Model Police Station by the victim's mother, Nilima Bairagi, against unidentified individuals.

Bullet Bairagi hailed from Dumuria village in Tungipara upazila of Gopalganj district. He was the only son of Sushil Bairagi and was serving as an Assistant Revenue Officer at the Bibirbazar land port in Cumilla. 

He had traveled to Chattogram on April 11 to attend the 44th basic training program. Due to his job, he lived in a rented house in the Rajganj Panpatti area of Cumilla city. He is survived by his wife and one child.