Police have arrested two persons in connection with the attempted murder of businessman Ehteshamul Haque on Elephant Road in the capital on Sunday.

The arrestees were identified as Asiful Haque Asif, alias Jhontu (32), and Md Kawsar Mridha (24).

According to New Market police, the incident occurred near the western corner of ECS Computer City (Multiplan Center) at Elephant Road around 10:40 pm on Friday (January 10). A group of miscreants equipped with sharp weapons attacked Ehteshamul Haque, leaving him critically injured.

During the attack, Md Wahidul Hasan Dipu, president of the Elephant Road Computer Traders Association, also came under attack by the same group when he exited the market in his car from the market’s ground floor. Both victims were rushed to nearby Popular Medical College Hospital in Dhanmondi, where Ehteshamul Haque remains under treatment.

A case was filed with New Market Police Station naming 10 people and 20-25 unnamed others. The case statement alleged that the attackers had been extorting traders at the market and threatening those who refused to pay tolls.

Acting on intelligence and CCTV footage, a police team led by Assistant Commissioner (New Market Zone) Tariq Latif arrested Kawsar Mridha from Jagannath Saha Road at noon around 12:00 pm on Sunday. Later, Asiful Haque was arrested from a mess near Hazaribagh Girls' School at around 1:00 pm on the same day, said Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the DMP Talebur Rahman.

Further legal proceedings are underway, and efforts to apprehend other suspects continue, he said.