A luxury night coach was speeding for Chittagong. It was two O'clock in the morning and everything was quiet along the Dhaka-Chittagong highway. The scene inside the coach was quite different from the usual scenes inside night coaches. At two O'clock in the morning, most of the thirty-six passengers are sound asleep. Usually a single dim light bulb is switched on and music sets are turned off. Every sort of attention is provided to assist the passengers to sleep through the journey. But in this night coach, every sort of attention was being provided to prevent the passengers from falling asleep: all the bulbs inside the bus were switched on. heavymetal music was being played and hot tea was being served. Moreover, there were four security guards among the sixteen passengers. Two-thirds of the seats were empty tonight. Anyone who had read about the bus lootings on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway would clearly understand the reason behind all the precautions obtained by the night coach.

Farhan and Zillur were among the twelve passengers in that bus. They were investigative reporters of the well-known newspaper: "The Dhaka Tribune". Their report on the IBA bank scandal had made them famous all over Bangladesh. This time, they had a very different assignment: they had to investigate about the lootings of several

by Tanzir Latif socks. The atmosphere grew tense as the bus crossed the milestone that read: "Chittagong-87 kilometres". Only one more kilometre to go. The bus slowed down to cross a speedbraker before a damaged bridge. It entered into the damaged bridge and then, everyone fell sound asleep.

The bus was recovered by the police, parked beside the milestone that read: 'Chittagong-86 kilometres". The twelve but one passengers, the four securityguards, the driver, the helper — all of them were sound asleep. All the luggages, bags, watches, the guards' rifles were missing. Farhan's camera was also missing. Three other coaches were looted that night. One passenger from every single bus was missing.

The police thoroughly searched that area but nothing was found. Most of bus owners stopped the night-service in fear of the looters. Farhan and Zillur placed their report on the incident:

Four more night coaches were looted the night

before yesterday.

police combed that area but failed to recover anything.

Some important facts were uncovered and disclosed

to police. These facts might help the police to trace the

police and the BDR thanked the reporters for their assistance. After all it was their idea to carry out such an operation. Zillur's hidden micro cassette recorder had provided all the necessary information. They disclosed it to the police and asked for their help. The police and the BDR came on a joint mission inorder to put an end to all these lootings. Zillur had overpowered the looter's accomplice in the bus, and Farhan had taken pictures of the whole mission with his new camera. The chapter of the bus lootings was thus over. Farhan and Zillur placed their final report to the Chief Editor of the Dhaka Tribune.’ It was printed on the next day's paper:

The Milestone that read:' Chittagong-86 kilometres'.

"The mystery of the bus lootings on the Dhaka-Chittagong

was solved at last. After looting three night coaches on

the first night, eight on the second, and four on the

third, the looters were caught while looting on the

fourth night. Thirteen looters were caught and most

of the looted goods were recovered. The police and the

BDR went on a joint mission to catch the looters.

The bus owners have been

buses on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway. They had already placed their initial report about the incident and it was printed in yesterday's newspaper. Farhan was having a look at it:

"Several night coaches were looted on the Dhaka-

Chittagong highway over a space of two days. Three coaches were looted on the first night, and eight were looted on the second. It was learned that all the

people in those eleven buses were sound asleep when

found by the police. None of the passengers, drivers or helpers could recall how they had fallen asleep. The looters were not yet been traced when this report was

being written. The most interesting fact uncovered is that all those eleven buses were found parked beside

a milestone that read: "Chittagong-86 kilometres "'. The

XUce combed that area but failed to

recover anything. All vehicles using that route at night are advised to be on alert. The police has asked

for the assistance of the inhabitants of that area

inorder to catch the looters. A reward of Taka 10,000/-

has been declared on any correct information on the

looters Cases have been filed in relation to this

incident. Informers of the whereabouts of the looters

are requested to call at (02) 7257295-9;

Farhan folded the newspaper and kept it inside his bag. Zillur was sitting next to him. He was reading Robin Cook's latest bestseller. Farhan looked through the window beside his seat. The bus had just crossed the milestone that read: Chit tagong-89 kilometres . An old man among the passengers started reciting verses from the Holy Quran. Ine helper started checking the doors and the windows of the bus. A middle-aged man locked his briefcase and kept it under his seat. The security guards checked their cartridges, and the driver stepped on the accelerator. Farhan took his camera out and Zillur switched on the cassette recorder hidden inside his

looters. Some other things were also uncovered but

they cannot be disclosed to the public. The reward has

been increased from Taka 10,000/- to Taka 50,000/ .

Informers are requested to cafl at (02) 7257295-9 and

(031) 9163026. Night coaches are advised not

to use that route beforefurther notice. Cases have been

filed in accordance to this incident;"

The looters had taken every costly possession they could And. They had even taken off costly shoes! But they had missed the most important thing: The Panasonic micro cassette recorder in Zillur's sock. Farhan and Zillur had all the answers to the looting mys-

A luxury night coach was heading towards the milestone that read: Chittagong-86 kilometres'. Out of the thirty-six passengers, six were security guards, two were Zillur and Farhan, and the rest twenty-eight were original travellers. The bus was now only one kilometre away from the milestone. A contingent of the police force was guarding the whole area, unseen by anyone. BDR trucks were following the night coach from a safe distance. Farhan and Zillur were sitting at the back seats They were dressed as women, wearing veils and hezabs As soon as the bus stopped to cross the speedbraker before the damaged bridge, they wore on their gas masks. The bus entered into the bridge and everyone except a man and the two reporters fell

Farhan and Zillur pretended to be asleep. The other man. who was also wearing a gas mask, got up from his seat and quickly took the control of the bus. He stopped the bus out of the bridge and opened its doors. About twelve armed looters came of nearby buses and were just entering into the bus when the Two BDR (Bangladesh Rifles) trucks came and stopped beside the bus The BDRJawans jumped out of the trucks with their rifles, and the policemen, hidden in that area, also charged with their 303s and shotguns The looters had only three firearms and as they were outnumbered by the ratio 1:7. they had to surrender The thirteen notorious looters were handcuffed and taken away The officer in command of the

relieved after a three night long anxiety.

The whole plan of operation of the bus looters were

quite simple. The looters chose luxury night coaches because most of its passengers are usually well off.

The picked the coaches they wanted to loot and one of their accomplices boarded the bus as a passenger.

As soon as the bus driver slowed down the bus to cross the speedbraker before the damaged bridge.

the accomplice, usually sitting at the back seats, wore

on a gas mask and discharged a powerful

smoke bomb which could ensleep people at an instant.

The man used to get up quickly from his seat and take control of the bus.

He then would cross the damaged bridge and park the bus near

the milestone that read: Chittagong-86 kilometres.'

The looters would come out of the buses and

take away all the costly goods The accomplice

would also escape with the looters. This was the reason

as to why one passenger was always missing from the fifteen buses looted. The looters had chosen the milestone that read:

Chittagong-86 kilometres as the place of action for several favourable reasons. This area was usually empty. There were no houses or police check points

nearby. They could hide in the nearby bamboo bush

fields, and escape quickly through that area. The

speedbraker before the damaged bridge made the

buses slow down and this enabled the accomplice

to take over the control of the bus easily. There was

a small road behind the bush and they could escape

easily after loading a small lorry with the looted

goods. A pojice checkpoint will be established at the

notorious milestone that read: Chittagong-86 kilometre*.'