Chattogram Man Burns Down Four Homes Over Land

A violent property feud within a family in Anwara Upazila, Chattogram, culminated in a shocking act of arson on Saturday afternoon, leaving four households in ruins. Around 1:00 pm on 3 January, a young local resident allegedly ignited a series of fires that decimated his own home and those of his close relatives. The incident, which unfolded at the Abdul Hakim Chowkidar residence in the Bhararchar area of Barumchhara Union, has left the community reeling and led to the immediate arrest of the primary suspect, 27-year-old Mohammed Mohiuddin.

Witnesses describe a chillingly premeditated sequence of events where the suspect reportedly purchased a quantity of kerosene from a nearby shop specifically for the attack. Upon returning to the family compound, he is said to have doused his own living quarters in the accelerant before setting them alight. The fire was then deliberately spread to his uncle’s house, and due to the dry conditions and the proximity of the structures, the flames quickly spiraled out of control, engulfing two further neighbouring properties. The victims of the blaze—Shamsur Islam, Mohammed Nurul Islam, Mohammed Abdul Alim, and Mohammed Rahim—have been left with nothing but the scorched remains of their ancestral land.

The local fire brigade from Anwara Station arrived to find the structures—comprising one semi-permanent building and three traditional mud houses—fully involved in flames. While Sub-Officer Mohammed Abdullah confirmed that his unit managed to prevent the fire from leaping to the rest of the village, the four targeted homes were almost entirely destroyed. The affected families claim that the loss of furniture, gold, and liquid cash amounts to roughly 20 lakh Taka, a devastating blow to their financial stability.

The Officer-in-Charge of Anwara Police, Mohammed Junayet Chowdhury, stated that the suspect was apprehended at the scene following accusations from his own kin. The suspect’s cousin, Mohammed Joynal Abedin, lamented that while the family had been plagued by internal bickering over land for years, no one expected such a malicious escalation. Mohiuddin remains in police custody for interrogation as investigators work to file formal charges. For the displaced families, the focus now shifts to survival and the long process of rebuilding their lives from the ashes of a bitter family vendetta.