Assault on Customs Officials in Chattogram: Attackers Shout ‘Shoot, Shoot’

In Chattogram city, three assailants stopped the private car of two Customs officials and attacked them, smashing the vehicle and threatening to shoot them.

The incident occurred on Thursday morning at around 10:30 am in the CDA Residential Area under Double Mooring Police Station.

The officials in the car were Md. Asaduzzaman Khan, a Revenue Officer at Chattogram Customs, and Assistant Revenue Officer (ARO) Badrul Arefin.

Describing the incident, Asaduzzaman Khan told Prothom Alo, “We were heading to the office when three individuals suddenly stopped our car. Immediately, they began smashing the windows. One of them kept shouting to another, ‘Shoot, shoot.’ We ran out of the car and took shelter in an alley to save our lives.”

When asked if any shots were fired, Khan said, “We did not hear any gunfire. We were only running at that time. Although the car was damaged, fortunately, no one was seriously injured. We could not immediately understand who carried out the attack or why.”

Khan stated that the attackers were three in number and arrived on a motorcycle. One of them wielded a machete, striking the car before urging others to shoot.

He added that they regularly identify irregularities in Customs and file 10–12 cases daily, which has previously led to threats to stop them from continuing their work.

Md. Tarek Mahmud, Deputy Commissioner of Chattogram Custom House, said that recently prohibited poppy seeds and condensed sugar had been imported in two containers, which were seized by these officers. He also noted that a syndicate had been operating in Customs related to cosmetic imports, submitting false declarations. The syndicate had been dismantled in the past two months, and the officers had been receiving threatening calls in recent days.

Tarek Mahmud further said, “A few days ago, someone claiming to be Sazzad threatened their lives over the phone. Although the person did not provide full details, we suspect the attack is linked to the officers’ efforts to curb irregularities.”

The officer-in-charge of Double Mooring Police Station, Babul Azad, told Prothom Alo at 12:30 pm that they were at the scene, collecting evidence and investigating the incident to identify those responsible.

Earlier, on 6 October, Asaduzzaman Khan had filed a General Diary (GD) at Bandar Police Station regarding threats received on 5 October, when a person called and threatened to kill him.

OC Mostofa Ahmed of Bandar Police Station said he had been in the post for 12 days and was unaware of the GD, but he would look into it.

Khaborwala/SS