Professor Asadur Rahman, head of the Ear, Nose and Throat department at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, has said he received a message demanding $15,000 in extortion money shortly before he was attacked in the capital.
The message was sent in the name of David Iman, described as a top criminal from Chattogram. Rahman, 55, initially dismissed the threat, believing it could have come from a fraudulent group attempting to intimidate him. The subsequent attack, however, has led him to reconsider the possibility of a connection.
Rahman is now receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. His right eye remains red and swollen following the assault.
According to Rahman, the extortion message gave him until 15 August to pay the money. Two days after the deadline, on the night of 17 August, he was attacked after his CNG-powered auto-rickshaw was stopped in the capital’s Shantinagar area.
Rahman said he had left his chamber at Popular Diagnostic Centre and boarded a CNG-run auto-rickshaw. After travelling a short distance, four men stopped the vehicle and demanded that the door be opened. Although Rahman told the driver not to open it, the door was eventually opened, after which the men assaulted him.
During the attack, the assailants accused him of providing improper treatment to someone’s sister. When Rahman asked who the patient was and where she had been treated, they allegedly provided no answer.
Local residents managed to detain one of the suspected attackers at the scene and handed him over to police. Rahman said the man was subsequently unable to provide any meaningful information about the alleged patient.
According to the doctor’s account, the detained suspect told police that someone had informed him that the doctor had a large amount of money. He was allegedly promised a mobile phone if he joined the group. The detained man is from Ramganj in Lakshmipur, an area where Rahman also has local connections.
The threats did not stop after the assault. About an hour after the attack, Rahman received another message from the same number saying, “How do you feel now?”
He said two further messages arrived the following day. One asked whether he wanted to “create more trouble”, while another threatened to send “media people” to him.
Rahman has filed a case with Paltan police over the incident. The First Information Report mentions the demand for $15,000 in extortion money, but does not include David Iman’s name or details of the threatening messages sent after the attack.
Paltan police Inspector (Investigation) Shafiqul Islam said the preliminary investigation suggested that the assault could have stemmed from previous enmity. He said the actual circumstances would become clearer once those involved were arrested and questioned.
Rahman, however, said he was not satisfied with the police investigation and has called for the case to be transferred to the Detective Branch of police.
Police have already identified one person allegedly linked to the attack, according to a source involved in the investigation. The source said a man named Jibon was detained by local residents at the scene. Following his questioning and analysis of information obtained through technology, investigators identified another suspect and are attempting to arrest him.
The investigation is now expected to establish whether the earlier extortion demand was directly connected to the assault, and whether the individuals involved acted independently or as part of a wider group. Police are also examining the sequence of messages sent before and after the attack as they seek to determine the motive and identify all those responsible.
