Night-time arson strikes returned to Savar on the outskirts of the capital as unidentified miscreants set fire to two stationary buses at separate locations along the Dhaka-Aricha highway during the early hours of Monday, 9 November. The consecutive attacks have left local residents and transport workers increasingly concerned over public safety and vehicle security.
The first incident occurred around 1:00 am near Genda bus stand, directly in front of the Salvation Army School. A bus assigned to transport garment factory workers had been parked along the roadside when perpetrators set it ablaze. Alerted by local witnesses, teams from the Savar Fire Service and Civil Defence rushed to the scene and brought the inferno under control before it could spread to adjacent properties.
Within three hours, emergency crews received another distress call. At roughly 4:00 am, a second passenger bus, belonging to the Itihas Paribahan operator, caught fire while parked outside a Tata servicing centre in the Boliyarpur area. Firefighters swiftly deployed to the spot and managed to extinguish the flames. Although both vehicles suffered extensive interior damage, including gutted seating and scorched bodywork, officials confirmed that no casualties or injuries were reported in either incident.
Senior Station Officer Jahangir Alam of the Savar Fire Service and Civil Defence confirmed that teams responded promptly to both locations. Preliminary assessments by the fire service suggest that the vehicles were deliberately targeted in acts of sabotage intended to create panic.
Police officials, however, maintain a cautious stance while investigations remain ongoing. Additional Superintendent of Police for Dhaka District (Crime and Operations), Tarikul Islam, stated that general law and order in Savar remains under firm control. He verified that law enforcement had confirmed the fire on one vehicle, whilst circumstances surrounding the second incident were still being examined. Investigating teams are evaluating all possibilities, including technical faults within the vehicles or the accidental ignition of mosquito coils left inside by drivers or helpers sleeping overnight.
Saiful Alam, Officer-in-Charge of Savar Model Police Station, noted that miscreants are taking advantage of vehicles parked haphazardly alongside major thoroughfares during off-peak hours. Operations are currently underway to trace the culprits, review nearby surveillance footage, and bring those responsible to justice.
These latest overnight blazes follow a similar pattern of disruption in the area. Just twenty-four hours earlier, on Saturday, another bus was set on fire in Savar alongside the detonation of crude hand bombs (cocktails). The recurring incidents have heightened anxieties amongst transport operators and commuters relying on the vital Dhaka-Aricha highway corridor, prompting calls for increased police patrolling and monitored parking facilities across the industrial hub.
