Armed Gang Attacks Chattogram Construction Site After Extortion Demand Refusal

An armed gang launched a violent attack on a under-construction building in Chattogram on Sunday, 26 July, after a local businessman refused to pay an extortion demand of 2 million taka. The assailants vandalised the property, assaulted workers, and detonated crude bombs, leaving one construction labourer severely injured with cleaver wounds.

The incident occurred at around 8:00 am in a residential area near the Bara Dighir Par-Bhatiari Link Road, situated in Ward 1 (South Pahartali) under Chattogram City Corporation.

According to police officers and eyewitnesses, eight to ten masked men arrived at the site in a three-wheeler tempu while routine construction work was underway. The armed group forcibly entered the premises and immediately began assaulting labourers and security personnel. They proceeded to smash doors, windows, and structural fittings across the site. During the rampage, a construction worker named Hasan Saki was struck with a large cleaver (kirich), sustaining critical injuries. Before fleeing the scene, the gang detonated three crude bombs (cocktails) outside the building to spread panic throughout the neighbourhood.

The property owner, businessman Mohammad Jasim Uddin, revealed that he had been receiving extortion demands for the past month via phone calls originating from overseas numbers. Although he had previously reported these threat calls to the police, the extortionists resumed pressuring him after a brief lull. Mr Uddin stated that the assault on his property was a direct retaliation for his refusal to hand over the demanded sum. He is currently preparing to file a formal criminal case with the local police station.

Law enforcement authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. Kazi Md Tarek Aziz, Additional Superintendent of Police (Hathazari Circle) for the Chattogram District Police, confirmed that CCTV footage from the surrounding area has been secured. Investigators are analysing the video to identify the suspects and execute arrests.

Local residents expressed deep concern over the escalating violence, disclosing that owners of at least eight to ten other under-construction buildings in the Bara Dighir Par area have faced similar extortion demands recently. Many victims have refrained from reporting the threats out of fear of violent reprisals. Community members noted that such overt extortion attempts and public bombings have not been witnessed in the locality since independence.

The violence comes shortly after a similar extortion-related assault took place on 13 July at an internet service provider’s office on Chawkbazar Access Road in Chattogram. Although joint operations by the Police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) led to the arrest of 20 individuals in connection with the Chawkbazar incident, this latest attack has renewed widespread fears regarding the spread of organised extortion rings across the port city. Business owners and local residents have demanded immediate measures to restore order and bring the perpetrators to justice.