Two individuals have been arrested in connection with the double murder that occurred on Access Road in Bakolia, Chattogram city, where two people were killed in a “brush fire” shooting at a private car.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Mohammad Belal (27), son of Mohammad Rofique from Islampur Sandwippara village in Lama upazila, Bandarban, and Mohammad Manik (24), son of the late Abul Hashem from Alipara, Kanchannagar Union, Fatikchhari upazila, said Officer-in-Charge Ikhtiyar Uddin of Bakolia Police Station on Thursday.
Belal was directly involved in the double murder, while Manik was responsible for providing the motorcycle and planning the attack, the OC said.
“Immediately after the incident, we initiated efforts to identify the accused. Through CCTV footage and modern technology, we were able to identify Belal and Manik,” the police official added.
“Belal was arrested from the Badamtala area of Khaja Road, Chandgaon police station, in the city, while Manik was arrested from Fatikchhari upazila. The clothes worn by Belal during the incident have been seized. Both have been presented before the court, and efforts to arrest the remaining suspects are ongoing,” OC Ikhtiyar also said.
Earlier, on the night of March 29, two individuals, Bakhteyar Hossain Manik and Mohammad Abdullah, were killed when a private car was chased and shot at on Bakolia Access Road, Chandanpur area of Chattogram city. Two others were injured in the shooting.
According to police sources, on that night, Chattogram's top gangster Sarwar Hossain Babla was present in the New Bridge area. Several accomplices of another imprisoned gangster, Chhoto Sazzad, had already laid in ambush on motorcycles. After Sarwar and six others set off in a private car, Sazzad’s men began chasing and firing at the car from the Rajakhali Bridge area. The private car returned fire.
At one point, as the private car reached the end of Bakolia Access Road near Chandanpur Road, the car was stopped upon seeing a police patrol. Before they could seek police assistance, rapid gunfire shattered the back window of the car. Two people were killed on the spot, and two others were injured. During this time, Sarwar Hossain Babla managed to escape unharmed.
Robin, who survived the incident and was receiving treatment at Chattogram Medical College Hospital, stated that Sarwar and Chhoto Sazzad had ongoing conflicts. The conflict had recently escalated due to Sazzad’s arrest and political rivalry, which led to the attack on Sarwar by Sazzad’s men.
Meanwhile, on April 1, the mother of the deceased, Firoza Begum, filed a case at Bakolia Police Station. The case also named Sazzad and his wife Sharmin Akter Tamanna, as well as Mohammad Hasan, Mobarak Hossain Imon, Khorshed, Raihan, and Borhan as accused.