Chilling CCTV Footage Reveals Fatal Garage Arson in Narsingdi

A young mechanic was burnt to death in his sleep during the early hours of Saturday morning in the Dogoria area of Narsingdi. The victim, identified as Chanchal Bhowmik, 25, was discovered inside a vehicle repair garage located adjacent to the Narsingdi Police Lines. While initial reports suspected an electrical short circuit, chilling CCTV evidence has since surfaced, pointing towards a deliberate and bizarre act of arson.

A Gruesome Discovery

The fire broke out at approximately 1:45 am on Saturday, 24 January 2026. Chanchal Bhowmik, a native of Comilla who had been working at the garage for several years, had retired to bed inside the workshop as per his usual routine. Because the garage stored highly flammable materials, including petrol and lubricants (mobil), the blaze escalated with terrifying speed once the shutters were ignited from the outside.

Fire service personnel arrived at the scene around 4:00 am. After extinguishing the inferno, they discovered Chanchal’s charred remains near the locked shutters. It appeared the victim had been trapped inside, unable to escape the rapidly spreading flames.

Incident Summary: Narsingdi Garage Arson

The “Bread and Fire” Mystery

Police investigations took a dramatic turn after reviewing surveillance footage from the vicinity. The footage depicts a young male gathering discarded fabrics and papers soaked in oil and piling them against the garage shutter at 1:40 am. After igniting the pile, the suspect did not flee. Instead, he remained at the threshold of the burning building for nearly an hour and twenty minutes.

In a detail described by investigators as “unsettling,” the suspect was seen casually eating bread and snacks while watching the fire grow. A.R.M. Al Mamun, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Narsingdi Sadar Model Thana, noted that the individual’s behaviour appeared “mentally unstable” or “deranged,” as he seemed oblivious to the gravity of the fire or the presence of a person inside.

Ongoing Investigation and Legal Action

The garage owner, Masud Rana Babul, has filed a formal murder case against unidentified persons. Narsingdi police have sent the remains to the Narsingdi Sadar Hospital morgue for a post-mortem examination. Sub-Inspector Md. Ishaq Mia confirmed that although the suspect’s actions look intentional, his erratic demeanour complicates the motive.

Authorities are currently working to identify the man seen in the footage. They are investigating whether this was a targeted homicide disguised as a random act of a vagrant or the tragic consequence of a mentally ill individual’s obsession with fire. As news of the “petrol-soaked murder” spreads across social media, local residents have called for heightened security in the Shilmandi Union area.