A case has been filed over the murder of a RAB official in a gun attack by armed assailants at Jungle Salimpur, Sitakunda, Chattogram, with local resident Md Yasin named as the prime suspect.
The case includes 29 named individuals and an additional 150 to 200 unidentified persons as accused. So far, three people have been arrested.
The arrestees-Jahid, Yunus, and Arif-are residents of Jungle Salimpur and members of Yasin’s group.
The case was filed on Thursday by RAB-7, although the identity of the complainant was not disclosed, RAB-7 Assistant Director (Media) ARM Mozzaffar Hossain said.
Officer-in-Charge of Sitakunda police station Md Mohinul Islam said a RAB officer lodged the case. The three arrestees include two named in the FIR and one identified during investigation.
The attack occurred on Monday afternoon, when armed assailants targeted Md Motaleb Hossain Bhuiya, a deputy assistant director (DAD) of RAB-7.
Three RAB personnel and a source known as Mona were seriously injured. Motaleb, a former BGB Nayeb Subedar, was serving in RAB at the time of the attack.
Local sources and administration officials say that for nearly four decades, thousands of illegal settlements have occupied government hills and khas land in Jungle Salimpur.
The area, a remote hilly region, has long served as a safe haven for armed land grabbers and criminals. Armed patrols effectively control the region, and entry by outsiders is virtually forbidden.
Spanning around 3,100 acres, the land near Link Road is estimated at Tk9 to 10lakh per decimal, putting the total value of occupied government land at roughly Tk30,000 crore. Authorities say these massive economic interests have fueled longstanding violence, murders, and criminal activity.
After the country’s political shift on 5 August last year, armed clashes over control of Jungle Salimpur escalated, resulting in multiple killings.
Recent shootouts between rival groups left one dead, and journalists covering the area were attacked the following day.
Attempts to reclaim the land and halt hill-cutting have repeatedly faced violent resistance.
On 14 September 2023, at least 20 people, including the executive magistrate, police, and other officials, were injured during an eviction drive. Similar attacks on law enforcement occurred in 2022.
Officials say the area’s geography allows criminals to detect law enforcement presence early, enabling them to launch attacks with firearms, cocktail, and bricks from the hills, making it extremely difficult to carry out operations with a single unit.”
Plans for at least 11 major government projects, including a prison and an IT park, remain stalled due to the long-standing inability to reclaim the land.
