In Chattogram, two Customs officers were assaulted when three men stopped their private car, smashed the windows, and threatened them with gunfire.
The incident took place on Thursday at around 10:30 am in the CDA Residential Area under the Double Mooring Police Station.
Those in the vehicle were Revenue Officer Md. Asaduzzaman Khan and Assistant Revenue Officer Badrul Arefin.
Khan told Prothom Alo, “We were going to the office when three individuals suddenly stopped our car. They began breaking the windows immediately. One of them kept shouting to another, ‘Shoot, shoot.’ We ran and found shelter in an alley to save our lives.”
When asked about gunfire, Khan said they heard none, as they were focused on escaping. Despite the car being damaged, no one was seriously injured. He could not immediately determine who attacked or why.
According to Khan, the attackers arrived on a motorcycle. One carried a machete and struck the car before instructing others to shoot.
He noted that they frequently file 10–12 cases daily by identifying irregularities at Customs, which has led to previous threats intended to pressure them to stop their work.
Md. Tarek Mahmud, Deputy Commissioner of Chattogram Custom House, mentioned that the officers had recently intercepted prohibited poppy seeds and condensed sugar in two containers. He added that a syndicate involved in cosmetic imports had been operating with false declarations, which was dismantled in the last two months, prompting threatening calls to the officers.
Tarek Mahmud said, “A few days ago, someone identifying as Sazzad threatened their lives. Although no further details were given, we suspect the attack is related to the officers’ crackdown on irregularities.”
The OC of Double Mooring Police Station, Babul Azad, said at 12:30 pm that they were at the scene collecting evidence and would identify those responsible.
Previously, on 6 October, Asaduzzaman Khan had filed a GD at Bandar Police Station regarding a threat call on 5 October. OC Mostofa Ahmed said he had just joined 12 days ago and would investigate the matter.
Glive24/SS