Khorshed Alam, 45, was killed at around 1.30pm on Wednesday in Dilshadpur village, under Lakshmipur Sadar upazila. He was the son of Ruhul Amin and worked in the soil supply business, selling earth to brick kilns.
His daughter, Prema Akter, 19, described the alleged attack in a telephone conversation on Thursday morning. Although she was not present at the scene, she said she had heard accounts from witnesses, including a friend who was with her father when the shooting took place.
“My father was eating a coconut when three men approached him and kicked it out of his hands. They then forced him to the ground, and two of them held down his hands. They tore open the shirt over his chest before another man pressed a firearm against his chest and fired,” she said, recounting what she had been told.
Prema alleged that the man who shot her father was Mohammad Walid. She also said that the family had been feeling unsafe since the killing.
Wife alleges threats over business dispute
Khorshed’s wife, Mukta Begum, also known as Akleema Akter, told journalists on Wednesday that two men, identified as Morshed and Majid, had called her husband out of their home around midday.
She said she heard gunshots shortly after he left and rushed towards the scene. When she arrived, she found her husband’s chest covered in blood.
Local residents tried to help him reach hospital, but he died before he could receive treatment.
Mukta alleged that Walid had previously threatened her husband over their soil-selling business. The family suspects that the dispute may have led to the killing, although the allegation has yet to be established through the police investigation.
Khorshed’s home is approximately 150 yards from the place where he was shot. The attack took place beside a road, near the entrance to a house.
Police recover ammunition from the scene
Noor Mohammad Chowdhury, a village police member who lives near the scene, said the shooting occurred beside the gate of a roadside house. He recalled that the gunshots were not particularly loud and suggested that the weapon might have been fired at very close range.
Police recovered three pieces of ammunition from the scene: two spent cartridge cases and one unused round.
Aroop Pal, resident medical officer at Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital, said Khorshed had died before he was brought to the hospital. Medical examination revealed two gunshot wounds to his chest, one smaller and the other larger, near the middle of the chest.
The recovered ammunition and the medical findings are among the details that may help investigators establish the circumstances of the shooting.
Eight named in murder case, two arrested
Khorshed’s wife filed a murder case with the police on Wednesday night. Eight people, including Mohammad Walid and Mohammad Sohag, were named in the complaint, while two unidentified individuals were also accused.
Police have arrested two people in connection with the case. They are Ibrahim Chhotto, 44, from Dilshadpur village, and Masud Rana, 26, the son of Tofayel Ahmed, from Radhapur village in the same upazila.
Wahid Parvez, officer-in-charge of Lakshmipur Sadar Police Station, confirmed the arrests. He said several law enforcement teams were working to identify and apprehend the other suspects.
Investigators are examining the circumstances of the killing, the possible motive and the alleged involvement of those named in the case. The allegations against the suspects have not yet been established in court.
Police have also said that Khorshed had previously faced several cases involving murder, firearms and drugs. Those cases form part of his reported background but do not, in themselves, establish the motive for his killing.
Another killing reported in the same upazila
Khorshed’s death comes just days after another killing in Lakshmipur Sadar upazila.
Police recovered the body of Zakir Hossain from a betel nut grove in Purba Nandanpur village at around 1am on Monday, following an attack late on Sunday night. He had sustained a sharp-force injury to his throat.
Zakir was the son of Tofayel Ahmed of Purba Nandanpur. Police said he had faced several cases involving firearms and drugs.
Investigators suspect that a dispute linked to the drug trade may have been behind his killing, although the motive remains under investigation.
Police have not indicated whether Zakir’s death is connected to Khorshed’s killing. The two cases are being examined separately, with investigators seeking to establish the circumstances and identify those responsible.
For Khorshed’s family, the immediate concerns are the arrest of the remaining suspects and clarification of the events that led to his death. The investigation will need to establish whether the alleged business dispute was the motive and what role, if any, each accused person played in the attack.
