Man shot, hacked with machete while getting haircut at salon

Farhad Hossain, 30, was getting a haircut at a salon in Arshinagar, Keraniganj, Dhaka, when several people suddenly entered and opened fire indiscriminately, creating panic. They then hacked him with a machete, leaving him critically injured. He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where an emergency department physician declared him dead.

The incident took place at Raj Salon in the Arshinagar area at around 3:00pm on Tuesday. Farhad died at around 4:00pm after being brought to the hospital. He lived with his family in Member Goli in Arshinagar, Keraniganj. His ancestral home is in Nurabad village of Daulatkhan upazila in Bhola.

Farhad’s friend Arif and cousin Akhtar Hossain claimed that Farhad sold fish from a roadside stall in the Mohirgola area of Mohammadpur. They said seven or eight members of a teen gang, including Arman, Sohel, Kallu and Sabbir, had demanded extortion money from him.

According to them, the gang demanded Tk 50,000 as a one-time payment and additional daily payments for allowing him to continue his business. Farhad refused to pay, leading to a dispute between them.

Relatives said Farhad was attacked and seriously injured at around noon on Tuesday following the dispute. Local residents and relatives later rescued him and took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

CCTV footage from the salon shows three people entering the premises at around 3:07pm. Two of them were wearing caps. Before entering the salon, one of them pulled out a pistol from his trouser pocket and began firing indiscriminately inside.

Those inside the salon fled in panic. The other two then pulled sharp machetes from their waists and entered the salon. Farhad, who was wearing only a lungi and was shirtless, came out of the salon and tried to flee. However, one of the attackers grabbed his lungi from behind, preventing him from escaping. Another attacker then repeatedly hacked him with the machete.

The attackers eventually fled, leaving Farhad seriously injured.

Mohammadpur police said Farhad himself was a member of the juvenile gang known as the Patali Group. He had allegedly been involved in various criminal activities in the Botghat and Mayurvilla areas of Mohammadpur. Several cases, including those involving snatching and extortion, had been filed against him.

Ruhul Quddus, officer-in-charge of Keraniganj Model police station, told Prothom Alo that they had initially learned that both groups involved in the incident were from the Rayer Bazar area of Mohammadpur. He said they had come to Arshinagar and carried out the attack over a previous dispute. Police are working to identify those involved.

Inspector Md Habibur Rahman, in-charge of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital police outpost, said Farhad’s body had been kept in the hospital morgue.