Gunmen who opened fire in public still not arrested

Police have not yet been able to arrest the gunmen who opened fire publicly in Chattogram city. Even after launching a special operation named ‘S Drive’ to arrest them, no one has been detained in six days, sparking panic among city residents. Police, however, say there is no reason to be worried.

People involved in the investigation said that police are struggling to catch the criminals due to a weakened source network at the field level and because the terrorists are ahead in terms of technology and tactics.

Former chairman of the Department of Criminology and Police Science at Chittagong University, Md Sakhawat Hossain, told Prothom Alo that to maintain law and order, along with the police stations, the special branches of the police also keep criminals under surveillance. For this, the source network must be strengthened further.

If there is any political shelter or patronage behind the terrorists, they must also be brought under the law. If a strong network can be built through technology and sources, it will be easier to identify the location of the terrorists, he added.

On 28 February at around 6:30 am, terrorists opened fire at the house of Smart Group chairman Mostafizur Rahman in the Chandanpura area of the city. At that time, five members of the police were guarding the house. The window glass of the house was shattered by the gunfire.

Earlier, on 2 January, the same house had also been targeted by gunfire. Police said followers of fugitive terrorist Sajjad Ali, also known as Boro Sajjad, who is currently abroad, were involved in the incident after failing to extort Tk 10 million.

CCTV footage shows one armed goon firing from two pistols with both hands. Among the other three, one was holding a submachine gun (SMG), another had a Chinese rifle, and the third had a shotgun. The businessman claimed the gunfire was carried out to extort Tk 10 million.

Even after seven days of the incident, police had arrested no armed criminals until yesterday, Friday. Police claim the terrorists have fled to hilly areas. The weapons used by them might still be somewhere in the city. However, the location of the weapons or the terrorists has not yet been identified.

Smart Group chairman Mostafizur Rahman expressed frustration over the failure to arrest the terrorists. He told Prothom Alo, “We live in constant fear. We never know what might happen again.”

Assistant Commissioner (Media) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police Aminur Rashid told Prothom Alo that police are making their maximum effort to arrest the armed terrorists. Special operations are continuing regularly. There is no reason for city residents to panic.

So far, the special police operations have not produced significant results. Although gamblers, members of teenage gangs and drug dealers have been arrested, none of the gunmen involved in the shooting have been apprehended. From Sunday to Thursday, a total of 251 people were arrested during five days of operations.

Among them, police arrested Istiaq Hasan and Md Jasim from the Chalitatoli area under Bayejid Bostami police station on 2 March. The next day, police said in a press conference that the two arrested individuals were followers of fugitive terrorist Sajjad Ali, also known as Boro Sajjad.

However, Sajjad denied the claim. Speaking to Prothom Alo over the phone, he said, “Istiaq is an accused in a case filed in 2023 over an attack, vandalism and arson at my house in Chalitatoli. How can he be my associate?”

According to court sources, on 7 February 2023, Sajjad’s house in Chalitatoli area was attacked, vandalised and set on fire. After the investigation, Inspector Arifur Rahman of the city’s Detective Branch (DB) police submitted a charge sheet against 13 people, including Istiaq Hasan. The trial of the case is currently underway.

Earlier, on 5 November last year, Sarwar Hossain, also known as Babla, was shot dead in the Khondkarpara area under Bayejid Bostami police station during a campaign event of a BNP-nominated candidate from the Chattogram-8 constituency.

Sarwar was accused in 15 legal cases against him, including murder and extortion. He was shot at very close range amid a crowd of party activists. Police initially believe that a trained shooter was involved in the killing. However, law enforcement agencies have not yet been able to confirm the identity of the left-handed shooter.

Aziz Uddin, brother of the deceased Sarwar, told Prothom Alo, “Even after four months, police have not been able to arrest the gunman who fired with his left hand. Instead, Boro Sajjad is threatening us.”