Four students from Stamford University Bangladesh were allegedly robbed at knifepoint inside Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Udyan on the night of January 25. The victims said they were forced to sit by a group of youths who demanded their university identity, assaulted them, and took a total of Tk 30,000 in cash and mobile money. One student was stabbed, sustaining injuries to his face, while others were beaten with tree branches. CCTV footage later showed Dhaka University student and Chhatra Dal leader Arif Faisal collecting Tk 15,000 from a mobile money agent linked to the stolen funds.

Arif Faisal, a student of the Communication Disorder department and a coordinator for the Chhatra Dal’s election committee in Dinajpur-3 constituency, admitted receiving the money when questioned by Amader Desh but claimed he was unaware of the full incident at the time. He said the matter was later “resolved” with the victims. University authorities stated they had not yet received a formal complaint, and the Chhatra Dal president said anyone involved in robbery should be handed over to police.

Faisal has since gone missing from his dormitory, and attempts to contact him by phone have failed.