Unidentified assailants opened fire on the entrance gate of a residential building in the Hamzarbagh area of Chittagong late on Monday night, following an unpaid extortion demand of 50 lakh BDT. The incident, which occurred around 11:00 pm, triggered widespread panic among residents of the Panchlaish neighbourhood.
The target of the attack was Runa Tower, an 11-storey structure owned by Mohammad Yousuf, a native of Fatikchhari whose two sons operate businesses abroad. Yousuf is the father-in-law of Azizur Rahman Aziz, the general secretary of the Chittagong Metropolitan branch of the banned Volunteers League. Aziz was arrested two days after the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August 2024 and remains in prison.
According to the building’s security guard, Md Alamgir, the neighbourhood was experiencing a blackout at the time of the assault. Two young men dressed in trousers and shirts approached the entrance, instructed him to step inside, and ordered him to lock the gate. The men then fired two shots directly at the main entrance before casually walking away. Local residents rushed to the scene upon hearing the gunshots, and police arrived shortly afterwards to investigate.
The shooting followed an explicit threat received earlier that day. Yousuf revealed that his son, Shawkat, received a WhatsApp voice message from an international number at around midday. The sender claimed to possess detailed information about Yousuf’s children, their occupations, personal backgrounds, and residential properties. The caller demanded 50 lakh BDT within one hour on the instructions of a “big brother,” threatening death if the payment was not made.
Local shopkeepers recounted the sudden disruption. A storekeeper working adjacent to the building recalled hearing gunshots before spotting two youths fleeing the immediate area.
Officer-in-Charge of Panchlaish Police Station, Zahedul Islam, confirmed that officers are actively working to identify and apprehend those responsible for the attack. He noted that a formal case regarding the incident has yet to be lodged.
This attack follows a string of high-profile extortion demands in Chittagong. On 13 July, associates of local criminal Mobarak Hossain Emon vandalised a construction site owned by businessman Jasim Uddin in the Boro Dighir Par area after he refused a 20 lakh BDT extortion attempt; the group subsequently raised the demand to 50 lakh BDT after a police complaint was filed. Earlier, on 13 June, Emon’s gang attacked the premises of DDN, an internet service provider on Bakalia Access Road, demanding 2 crore BDT.
Following public demonstrations demanding his arrest, Emon was intercepted in Jessore on 29 July whilst attempting to flee to India. He is currently held in police custody under a 10-day remand, though his criminal network remains active in the region.
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