Police have arrested three more suspects in connection with the shooting of schoolboy, who was critically injured during a clash between two alleged drug-trafficking groups in Cumilla city’s Katabil area.
Cumilla Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Touhidul Anwar informed this at a press briefing on Monday.
The arrestees were Asif, 26, Ashik, 35, and Emon, 19, all residents of Katabil.
The OC said they were arrested during raids conducted across different parts of the district on Sunday and Monday in connection with a case filed by Yunus Mia, father of the victim Ethan Ahmed Prem.
According to police, the three are members of the local “Opu Group.”
Earlier, police arrested another suspect, Shrabon, an alleged member of the rival “Sabbir Group,” and recovered a pistol and six rounds of ammunition from his possession.
Police said tensions between the two groups escalated on the night of 24 June over control of the local drug trade.
The following morning, local residents formed a human chain in front of Katabil Rafiq Uddin Memorial High School and a nearby government primary school to protest against drug-related activities.
According to witnesses, a group of armed men suddenly attacked the gathering and opened fire indiscriminately, causing panic among participants and passers-by.
Ethan, a sixth-grade student at Rafiq Uddin Memorial High School, was shot while returning home during his school’s tiffin break.
At least seven people, including Ethan, were injured in the incident.
Ethan is currently undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Doctors said the bullet struck one of his lungs.
His father, Yunus Mia, works at an amusement ride at Cumilla City Park. Police said operations are continuing to arrest the remaining suspects linked to the shooting.
