An arson attack has damaged important documents and an official vehicle at the zonal and regional office of Grameen Bank in Sylhet, occurring just two days after false rumours of a fire at the facility circulated on social media. The incident took place during the early hours of Sunday, 15 November, between 2:45 am and 3:50 am at the bank’s premises in Block H of Shahjalal Upashahar.
Bank officials suspect the blaze was a deliberate act of sabotage carried out under the cover of darkness. According to sources within the bank and local law enforcement, unidentified miscreants entered the compound carrying liquid fuel packed inside polythene bags. They first poured the fuel and ignited fires along the northern and eastern sides of the office building. Before fleeing the scene, the perpetrators also set alight a car parked inside the garage—a vehicle regularly used by the regional manager.
Alertness on the part of on-duty staff prevented a far greater catastrophe. A security guard and a bank employee spotted the flames spreading across the premises and immediately notified Md. Abul Hossain, Manager and Zonal Officer of Grameen Bank’s Sylhet Zonal and Regional Office. Rushing to the site, Hossain and three colleagues worked alongside local residents to throw water onto the flames, successfully bringing the fire under control before it could engulf the entire structure. Personnel from the Fire Service and a team from Shahporan Police Station arrived shortly afterwards to inspect the damage and secure the area.
The timing of the attack has raised serious concerns among bank staff and residents in the neighbourhood. Speaking about the sequence of events, Zonal Officer Abul Hossain pointed out that fabricated reports claiming the exact same office had been torched were shared widely on social media just two days earlier. Within forty-eight hours of that online misinformation, real flames struck the building, suggesting a coordinated effort to create panic or execute a pre-planned strike.
Following the incident, Abul Hossain lodged a General Diary (GD) with Shahporan Police Station to initiate formal legal proceedings. Law enforcement officers have since visited the damaged office to gather preliminary evidence. Ferdous Ahmed, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Shahporan Police Station, confirmed that investigators are treating the incident with utmost seriousness. Police teams are currently collecting and reviewing closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from nearby buildings and roads to identify those responsible and establish the motive behind the attack.
