STAFF CORRESPONDENT

A journalist was mugged in the capital’s Mohammadpur area on Thursday night, where muggers attacked him with a machete and took his phone and wallet. The incident sparked public outrage after police initially showed negligence in responding to his complaint.

Amid the backlash, police later recovered the stolen phone and arrested three suspects -- Yusuf, 26, Siam, 23, and Jahurul, 22.

Four policemen were withdrawn yesterday from duty for mishandling the case and failing to take immediate action, said Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

They are Sub-Inspector Jasim Uddin, Assistant Sub-Inspector Anarul, and constables Majedur Rahman and Md Nurunnabi.

The incident came to light after Ahmad Wadud, a journalist at a Bengali daily, rushed to Mohammadpur Police Station, located just a few minutes from the crime scene.

In a Facebook post detailing the ordeal, Wadud described how he and his wife were returning home late Thursday night, around 11:00pm when a group of muggers attacked him with a machete and fled with his phone and wallet. His wife was not mugged, as she had been walking slightly behind.

According to Wadud, the initial response from the police was dismissive. When he reported the incident to Officer-in-Charge Ali Iftekhar Hasan, the OC reportedly showed him his inexpensive phone and remarked, “Even I, as the OC, use a cheap phone. If you carry such expensive devices, of course, you’ll get mugged,” Wadud wrote.

Wadud also described how he was belittled by Sub-Inspector Jasim for having his shirt button open, which

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