A 25-year-old local grocer was brutally hacked with machetes in broad daylight before being robbed of his motorbike and cash in the capital’s Mohammadpur area on Thursday morning.

The victim, identified as Md Hridoy Mia, was intercepted by a gang of at least five armed muggers around 7:45 am on Sadek Khan Road. Hridoy, a resident of the nearby Shankar area in Dhanmondi, was riding towards the Krishi Market to purchase stock for his grocery shop when the assailants blocked his path.

According to his friend, Mohammad Biplob, the armed gang surrounded Hridoy without warning and set upon him with heavy sharp weapons. The attackers struck him repeatedly on his back and lower torso with machetes, leaving him severely injured on the tarmac. The muggers then snatched his motorcycle alongside Tk 20,000 in cash before fleeing the scene.

Upon receiving news of the ambush, locals and acquaintances rescued the bleeding trader and rushed him to the emergency unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). Inspector Md Habibur Rahman, in-charge of the DMCH police camp, confirmed that the trader received urgent medical treatment for deep lacerations before being declared out of immediate danger.

The violent incident underscores a worryingly persistent trend of violent street crime and armed robberies across Mohammadpur and its adjacent residential neighborhoods. Sadek Khan Road, an arterial route connecting Mohammadpur with surrounding areas, has frequently been cited by residents as a vulnerable hotspot during early morning hours when police patrolling remains sparse.

Local traders and residents have expressed growing alarm over the audacity of organized mugging syndicates operating in the capital, demanding stricter law enforcement surveillance, increased check posts, and rapid arrests of the culprits involved in the attack. Police authorities have initiated a preliminary investigation into the incident to identify and apprehend the gang.