Police in Cox’s Bazar have arrested a suspect and registered formal criminal charges against four others, including a local Chhatra Dal activist, following the violent overnight seizure of a hotel in the coastal town’s main tourist district. The incident unfolded during the early hours of Monday, 17 August, when an armed gang stormed Nakshi Resort after the proprietor refused to succumb to a 10 lakh taka extortion demand.
Following the raid, officers from Cox’s Bazar Sadar Police Station launched a rapid operation, arresting 40-year-old Mahfuz Shakil in the town’s Light House area. Shakil, originally from Ratnapalang in Ukhia upazila, is named as the second accused in a criminal case filed by the resort owner, Israt Jahan.
According to the official police docket, the primary accused leading the assault is Al-Amin, a local political activist affiliated with Chhatra Dal. The three other named defendants are Badrul Hasan Milky, Ashikul Islam, and Arif. An additional 10 to 12 unidentified accomplices have also been charged in connection with the attack.
The raid commenced at approximately 3:00 am on Monday when the armed group broke into Nakshi Resort in the Light House neighbourhood under cover of darkness. When hotel staff member Abdu Shukur attempted to block their entry, the intruders subjected him to a sustained physical assault, leaving him with severe injuries across his body. As Shukur attempted to contact the resort owner, the attackers seized his mobile phone and forcibly ejected him onto the street.
The gang then ransacked the premises, destroying closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, smashing furniture, and looting valuable electronics, including eight 32-inch Samsung television sets.
In her detailed complaint to law enforcement, Israt Jahan disclosed that the syndicate had been operating a systematic extortion scheme targeting hotel operators and local traders across the Kalatali tourist strip. The gang had repeatedly demanded 10 lakh taka in protection money to permit her business to trade without disruption. Prior to Monday’s forcible entry, the group had already illegally taken possession of four flats owned by Jahan inside Milky Resort, alongside an 800-square-foot commercial unit on the ground floor.
The owner added that the extortionists issued death threats against her family, warning that her young child, a pupil at Ramu Cantonment School, would be abducted and killed if the money was not delivered. Local shopkeepers leasing premises from Jahan were also subjected to recurring harassment and coercion. Despite Jahan lodging three to four separate general diaries (GDs) with the local police station over recent months, the ongoing intimidation culminated in Monday’s violent takeover.
Before leaving the premises, the perpetrators announced that the resort would remain under their occupation until the 10 lakh taka demand was settled in full, threatening lethal force against anyone seeking police intervention.
Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sheikh Mohammad Ali confirmed that formal charges have been filed against all five primary suspects and their accomplices. OC Ali stated that law enforcement is maintaining a strict stance against organized extortion networks and illegal property seizures, confirming that targeted operations are currently underway to capture Al-Amin and the remaining fugitives.
