Gunmen fire at Ctg house
Gunmen fired two shots at the gate of an expatriate businessman’s house in Chattogram’s Hamzarbagh area on Monday night, a day after the family allegedly received a Tk 50 lakh extortion threat.
The incident took place around 11pm, triggering panic among residents.
Panchlaish Police Station Officer-in-Charge Zahedul Islam said shots were fired at the gate after an extortion demand was not met.
“Efforts are underway to identify and arrest those involved. No case has yet been filed over the incident,” he said. Building owner Mohammad Yousuf said his son Shawkat received a voice message on WhatsApp from a foreign number around midnight. The sender allegedly gave the family one hour to pay Tk 50 lakh and threatened to kill them if they failed to comply.
The message allegedly claimed that the sender knew details about Yousuf’s children, including their whereabouts, activities and properties, and said the demand had been made on the instructions of someone referred to as “Boro Bhai”.
Yousuf owns the 11-storey Runa Tower in Hamzarbagh. His two sons are expatriate businessmen, and their ancestral home is in Fatikchhari, Chattogram.
The building’s security guard, Md Alamgir, said there was no electricity when the incident occurred.
“Two young men suddenly came and forced me inside the gate. They told me to close it and then fired two shots at the gate before leaving,” he said.
A shopkeeper near the building said he heard the gunshots and saw two young men running away.
Police later visited the scene after receiving information about the shooting. The incident comes amid a series of extortion allegations in Chattogram.
On July 13, followers of alleged criminal Mobarak Hossain Emon were accused of vandalising and attacking an under-construction building owned by businessman Jashim Uddin in South Pahartali after he allegedly refused to pay Tk 20 lakh in extortion. A case was filed over the incident, followed by an alleged demand for another Tk 50 lakh.
Earlier, on June 13, Emon’s followers were also accused of vandalising and attacking DDN, an internet service provider on Bakalia Access Road, over an alleged Tk 2 crore extortion demand.
Following the incidents, residents held human chains and press conferences demanding an end to extortion and the arrest of Emon.
Emon was arrested in Jashore on July 29 while allegedly attempting to flee to India. He is currently in police custody on a 10-day remand.
