Mohammadpur murders: Police say mob beatings, what locals say

Two murders took place in the Hakkar Para area of Nabinagar Housing, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, on 10 September 2025.

In the first incident, two young men were taken from their sleep, dragged onto the street and beaten. One of them died at the scene.

According to eyewitness accounts of the second incident, two young men were taken from the street and assaulted; one of them also died on the spot.

Alongside the eyewitness accounts, Prothom Alo obtained multiple video recordings of both beatings. The faces of the assailants are clearly visible in the footage.

After speaking with eyewitnesses, residents of the surrounding area and the victims’ relatives, Prothom Alo identified 10 individuals allegedly involved in the killings. The families of the victims have accused the police of attempting to cover up the planned murders by portraying them as incidents of mob beating.

The deceased have been identified as Md. Sujan, also known as Babul and Md Hanif. The injured are Md. Sharif and Faisal. Following the incidents, the families of the deceased went to Mohammadpur Police Station and showed officers the video footage.

However, police allegedly refused to register a case, advising the families instead to file a case against unidentified individuals a suggestion the families declined. Subsequently, both families applied to the court to file a case.

Police claim that the deceased were muggers with previous cases of robbery against them. The two injured men are currently in jail in connection with a mugging case. Police further stated that the victims were close associates of a local gang leader known as “Roktoshosha” (Bloodsucker) Jony, who is accused in 27 criminal cases including robbery and mugging.

Several local shopkeepers said the four men were not caught in the act of mugging. Instead, they were apprehended and beaten by a group of individuals, resulting in two deaths. According to locals, the killings were linked to a local power struggle.  

Video footage, eyewitness testimonies and Prothom Alo’s investigation reveal that no incidents of mob beating occurred in the Nabinagar Housing area of Mohammadpur on the morning of 10 September. Both murders were premeditated. The killings were allegedly linked to Akhtar Hossain, Assistant Secretary for Student Affairs of Ward no. 100 (organisational unit) BNP. He is seen in the video footage.

On 5 October, a Prothom Alo reporter visited Akhtar Hossain’s residence on Road 12, Nabinagar Housing. Despite repeatedly pressing the doorbell, no one responded. The reporter then tried contacting his mobile phone, which was found switched off. Attempts to reach him again the following night, around 8:00 pm, were also unsuccessful as his mobile phone remained switched off.

Later that night, around 11:00 pm, Prothom Alo collected another mobile number used by Akhtar Hossain from several local residents. Calls to that number rang but went unanswered. Text messages and WhatsApp messages seeking his comment regarding his alleged involvement in the murders also went unanswered.

According to eyewitnesses and several shopkeepers, following incidents of theft, mugging and robbery after 5 August last year, a “patrol team” was formed in Nabinagar Housing to maintain security. Akhtar Hossain was the leader of this patrol team. Those involved in the two murders were members of this same patrol team.

Locals identified others seen in the video footage as being involved in the killings are – Md. Hasnain, President of Nabinagar West Unit BNP; members Md. Malek and Md. Zahirul; night guard Habibur Rahman; residents Shahabuddin, Nuru and Shahin; tea stall owner Zahirul (also known as Zahid) and Al Amin. All of them are known to be followers of BNP leader Jamal Uddin.

The BNP’s organisational Ward no. 100 includes Nabinagar Housing, Chandrima Housing, Dhaka Uddyan Housing, Ekata Housing, Turag Housing, Shyamoli Housing (Phase II) and Nobodoy Housing.  

BNP leader Jamal Uddin told Prothom Alo that he had heard the two victims killed in the alleged mob beating were “collaborators of fascists.” He added that if these were not cases of mob beating, law enforcement agencies should take legal action against those responsible.

In the video footage Akhtar, Hasnain, Malek and others were seen beating the victims with sticks and rods. When asked about the allegation that they were his followers, Jamal Uddin replied, “They attend BNP processions and meetings. Anyone can take part in processions or meetings.”

In the early hours of 10 September, the victim of the first incident, a young man named Sujan (also known as Babul), was a resident of the Dhaka Uddyan area. Sharif, who was injured in the same incident, lived in Chandrima Housing. On the night of 9 September, both Sujan and Sharif went to the Sadeeq Agro farm in Nabinagar Housing. They spent the night in the same room as Monir Ali, a farm worker. After 4 am, several men, including Malek and Habibur, came and took the two away. Monir Ali was beaten inside the farm at that time.

When Prothom Alo visited the farm on 5 October, several workers confirmed the incident. They said that Monir left his job the following day out of fear.

Nesar Uddin, the farm manager, told Prothom Alo that Monir had been working there for five years. After Sujan’s death, Monir left, saying he no longer felt safe. Nesar Uddin added that Monir did not provide any further explanation and that he was unaware of his current whereabouts.

A woman living in a nearby tin-roofed house (name not mentioned for safety reasons) told Prothom Alo that she heard shouting at dawn on the day of the incident. When she stepped outside, she saw several men beating two young men. No one came forward to help them.

Prothom Alo also spoke with Jahangir Alam, Sujan’s father. He said, “Everyone saw how my son was beaten to death.” Akhtar Hossain’s men took him from Sadeeq Agro farm and killed him. There is full video footage of the incident. On hearing the news, he rushed to the scene and found his son tied to a tree by the roadside but he was already dead by then.

Jahangir Alam said that the video footage had been handed over to the police, but they refused to register a case. He added that Sujan was unmarried.

At around 6:30 am on 10 September, in the Hakkar Para area of Nabinagar Housing, Mohammadpur, two more young men – Md. Faisal and Md. Hanif ­­– were beaten. A video of the incident shows five people assaulting Faisal and three beating Hanif. Another video shows Hanif pleading with folded hands for his life.

Faisal’s wife, Nupur Akter, told Prothom Alo that their home is close to the site where Hanif and Faisal were beaten. On hearing the news, she rushed to the spot.

When she arrived, the beating of her husband Faisal had stopped, but Hanif was still being attacked. Hanif died shortly afterwards. She said that everyone in the area knew the people involved in the assault.

Nupur Akter added, “Akhtar Hossain, (the ward BNP leader) and his men took Faisal and Hanif from the street. If my husband and Hanif were criminals, the law should have taken its course, but who gave them the right to beat them to death?”

On 5 October, Prothom Alo also spoke with Hanif’s elder brother, whose name is also Akhtar Hossain, in Nabinagar Housing. He said, “My brother might have been involved in mugging, but no one has the right to capture and kill him. Hanif pleaded for his life repeatedly with folded hands, but no one listened.”

When they went to the police station to file a case, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) allegedly told them to file it against “unidentified assailants.” When they pointed out that all the attackers were visible in the video, the OC reportedly said that if they would not file the case against unidentified persons, they will leave. The family later applied to the court to file the case.

Akhtar Hossain further mentioned that Hanif had a one-and-a-half month-old daughter. His wife and daughter are now living in Mehendiganj, Barishal.

On 10 September, the day of the incidents, Mohammadpur Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge (OC) Kazi Rafiqul Ahmed told Prothom Alo that the two men had been killed in mob beatings after being caught in the act of mugging.

When contacted again on 5 October at his office, the OC reiterated that the two deceased were professional muggers. “Since their deaths, peace has returned to the area. Incidents of mugging have declined. They were killed in mob beatings,” he said.

When Prothom Alo pointed out that eyewitness accounts, local residents’ statements and video footage all indicated that the murders were premeditated, not the result of mob violence, the OC replied, “If the investigation reveals such information, legal action will be taken accordingly.”

The bodies of Sujan and Hanif were recovered from the scene on 10 September and taken to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital by Mohammadpur Police Sub-Inspector (SI) Aktaruzzaman. Speaking to Prothom Alo yesterday, Sunday afternoon, he said he had been on patrol duty in the area that day. After receiving information over the phone, he rescued four individuals in two separate operations, two of whom were already dead, and took them to the hospital. He maintained that the incidents were cases of mob beating.

When confronted with the claim that the assaults were premeditated and the video footage showed no evidence of mob violence, SI Akteruzzaman responded, “I am not saying your information is incorrect. I only reported what I learnt on that day.”

Human rights activist Nur Khan told Prothom Alo that, in any criminal case, the police are legally obliged to register a complaint. “Even if the victims were serious offenders, their killings must be investigated and brought to justice. If the police have tried to portray the murders as mob beatings, that is entirely improper, it is a misuse of authority.”