Eight bags belonging to Rajshahi Division cricketers have reportedly gone missing from a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) covered van while being transported from Dhaka to Rajshahi following the second round of the National Cricket League (NCL). The disappearance was discovered on Wednesday morning when the team’s belongings were being unloaded at a hotel in Rajshahi.
Cricketer SM Meherab Hasan has filed a general diary (GD) with Rajpara Police Station under Rajshahi Metropolitan Police in connection with the incident. Police from Rajshahi district, Natore district and Rajshahi Metropolitan Police are jointly working to recover the missing luggage and determine how it disappeared.
Rajshahi Division played against Khulna Division at Mirpur in the second round of the NCL. Following the match, the players returned to Rajshahi by air on Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, a BCB covered van carrying the team’s 54 pieces of luggage had set off for Rajshahi the previous night.
According to the GD filed by Meherab Hasan, the van’s driver, Sajib, told him that he had checked the vehicle’s rear door at Hatikumrul in Sirajganj while travelling towards Rajshahi. The door was locked at the time, the driver reportedly said.
Sajib later stopped at the Bonpara bypass in Natore for breakfast, spending around 15 to 20 minutes there before continuing the journey. It remains unclear when or where the eight bags went missing.
The GD states that at around 5.30am on Wednesday, as the van approached Puthia Bazar, another driver travelling behind the vehicle alerted Sajib that its rear door was open.
After receiving the warning, Sajib stopped the van beside a fuel station on the Natore side, before passing Puthia Bazar. He found the rear door open, closed it and continued towards Rajshahi.
At around 6am, when the van reached the hotel in Rajshahi, the team discovered that eight bags were missing while unloading the luggage.
The missing bags reportedly contained valuable personal belongings, including passports, iPhones, US dollars and several lakh taka in cash. The loss has raised concerns among the affected players, as the disappearance of essential documents and other personal items could cause considerable inconvenience in addition to the financial damage.
Meherab Hasan has declined to comment on the incident. Other Rajshahi Division cricketers, however, have expressed concern over the disappearance.
The players are scheduled to face Chattogram Division in Rajshahi from 18 November. With the fixture approaching, the loss of their personal belongings has created additional difficulties for the team ahead of the match.
Rajshahi Division team manager Touhid Tarek described the incident as embarrassing and confirmed that the matter had been reported to the police.
“We have informed the police administration about the matter. They are working together to recover the cricketers’ luggage,” he said.
Rajpara Police Station officer-in-charge Abul Kalam Azad told Prothom Alo at around 5.30pm on Wednesday that the incident could have occurred either in Rajshahi or Natore. As the exact location remains uncertain, police from Rajshahi district, Natore district and Rajshahi Metropolitan Police are coordinating their investigation.
Investigators are examining the van’s route, the stops made during the journey and the circumstances surrounding the open rear door to establish how the bags went missing. They are also seeking to determine whether the disappearance involved any criminal activity.
As of Wednesday evening, there had been no confirmed report of the missing luggage being recovered. The affected players are awaiting further developments as the investigation continues.