Sand pirates opened fire on locals who attempted to stop illegal sand extraction from the Meghna River in Bhola on Saturday, leaving four people injured — three of them with bullet wounds, police said.

The injured were identified as Shajahan Mir, 70, Md. Ali, Apurba Patwari, and Shafiur Rahman.

The attack occurred around 11:30 am in the Bhabanipur Char area of Meghna under Kachia Union in Bhola Sadar Upazila.

Police and local resident A. Sattar said a dredger had been illegally extracting sand from an erosion-prone area outside the Meghna government sand mining zone since morning.

More than a hundred locals in two trawlers blocked the dredger and notified district and upazila authorities.

Police and magistrates were dispatched, but before they arrived, a group of armed sand miners in a speedboat attacked the protesters and opened fire.

Locals later rescued them and took them to the Bhola 250-bed General Hospital.

Hospital superintendent Dr. Taibur Rahman said three gunshot victims were admitted and are receiving proper treatment. All are out of danger.

According to Sattar and Shajahan Mir, 6–7 armed men led by Choket Jamal and Shahin carried out the attack.

However, Choket Jamal (Jamal Uddin Choket) denied the attack and the shooting, saying that there was a planned conspiracy against him. No sand is extracted from outside the government sand pit. Neither he nor his nephew were in the area at the time of the incident.

Assistant Commissioner (Land) SM Mashiur Rahman said the shooting took place before officials reached the scene. The dredger has since been removed, and a case will be filed over the incident.

Bhola Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abu Shahadat Md. Hachanain Parvez said police have launched an investigation and will take legal action against those involved.