A wave of fear has gripped residents in the port city of Chattogram following a targeted shooting incident at a multi-storey residential building in the Hamjarbagh area under Panchlaish Police Station. Unidentified assailants opened fire on the main entrance of the property late Monday night after a staggering extortion demand of fifty lakh taka was ignored, highlighting a persistent security challenge involving criminal syndicates across the region.
The eleven-storey building, known as Runa Tower, is owned by Mohammad Yusuf, whose family hails from the Fatikchhari upazila. Both of Yusuf’s sons reside abroad as businessmen. Yusuf is also the father-in-law of Azizur Rahman Aziz, the detained former general secretary of the Chattogram city chapter of the banned volunteer organisation Swechchhasebak League, who was arrested two days after the political transition on the 5th of August, 2024.
According to the building’s night security guard, Md. Alamgir, the neighbourhood was experiencing a power outage at the time of the attack. Two young men dressed in trousers and shirts approached the entrance, ordered him to step inside, and forced the gate shut before firing two rounds directly at the structure. The armed individuals then fled calmly on foot. The sharp crack of gunfire drew immediate attention from alarmed neighbours, prompting police patrols to visit the scene.
Property owner Mohammad Yusuf revealed that extortion threats began earlier that day at around 12:00 noon. His son Shawkat received an anonymous voice message via WhatsApp from an international number, giving a strict one-hour deadline to pay fifty lakh taka dictated by an unnamed criminal figure known as the ‘elder brother’. The menacing audio message detailed personal backgrounds, family residences, and professional whereabouts of Yusuf’s children, warning of lethal consequences if the tribute was withheld. A neighbouring shopkeeper corroborated hearing the sudden gunshots followed by two suspects sprinting away from the scene.
Panchlaish Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Zahedul Islam confirmed that the shooting occurred due to unmet extortion demands directed at the property. Investigators are currently reviewing surrounding evidence and working to identify the perpetrators. While formal charges have not yet been lodged at the police station, a manhunt is underway.
This incident follows a string of similar high-profile extortion attempts plaguing commercial and residential properties in Chattogram. On the 13th of July, associates of notorious local criminal Mubarak Hossain Emon allegedly attacked an unfinished building belonging to businessman Jasim Uddin in the Borodirirpar area after a twenty lakh taka demand was rejected, later escalating the sum to fifty lakh taka. Prior to that, on the 13th of June, Emon’s faction allegedly targeted an internet service provider office along the Bakalia Access Road, demanding a staggering two crore taka.
Public outrage following those incidents led to protests and human chain demonstrations demanding a crackdown on local syndicates. Emon allegedly grew increasingly reckless with extortion rackets following the political shifts of August 2024. He was eventually captured by security forces on the 29th of July while attempting to flee across the border through Jashore, and subsequently placed on a ten-day police remand. Local business communities continue to press law enforcement for heightened vigilance and permanent safeguards against criminal networks.
