Gunshots were fired at the residence of an expatriate in the Hamzarbagh area under Panchlaish Police Station in Chattogram, following a demand for Tk50 lakh in extortion.
The attack occurred after the victim’s family blocked a foreign WhatsApp number from which miscreants had contacted them to demand the money.
According to police and victim sources, the shooting took place on Monday night at Runa Tower, owned by Haji Mohammad Yusuf. Taking advantage of a power outage, two youths carried out the attack between 10:30pm and 11pm.
The attackers first ordered the gate to be closed and threatened the security guard with weapons. Terrified, the guard retreated to his room, after which the miscreants fired two rounds of gunshots at the gate and fled.
Due to the power outage, the security guard could not clearly identify the attackers’ faces, though it is suspected they had a vehicle or a motorcycle parked a short distance away.
The building’s owner, Haji Mohammad Yusuf, is a retired expatriate who returned to Bangladesh after spending 40 years in Saudi Arabia. His eldest son, Mohammad Shawkat, who operates a business in Dubai, is currently staying in the country.
Yusuf said at around 9:45pm on Monday, a voice record was sent to Shawkat’s WhatsApp number from a foreign number, claiming the caller was contacting them from Qatar. The voice record mentioned their businesses and buildings both in the country and abroad, demanded Tk50 lakh in extortion, and directed them to hand over the money to their “younger brother.”
Following his father’s advice, Shawkat blocked the number without replying. The shooting was carried out within a few hours of the number being blocked.
Notably, Yusuf is the father-in-law of Azizur Rahman Aziz, the general secretary of the Chattogram metropolitan committee of the now-banned organisation Swechchhasebak League. Aziz was arrested following the fall of Awami League government on 5 August and is currently in jail.
Chattogram Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (North) Hasan Mostafa Swapan said that the police are investigating the incident with the utmost importance. He added that, primarily, the shooting is suspected to have been carried out to create panic in the area.
Meanwhile, a police officer speaking on condition of anonymity revealed that initial information suggests the gunshots might have been fired over a dispute related to the Middle East hundi (illegal money transfer) business. No case has yet been filed with the police station in connection with the incident.
