Three buses have been set on fire on three consecutive nights in Dhamrai, Dhaka, with the latest incident reported early Sunday.
The latest fire broke out around 3:40am near Afaz Uddin College in the Sharifbag area of the upazila. The bus, an older vehicle operated by D-Link Paribahan to transport workers to and from Snotex Garments, was set on fire. No casualties were reported.
Two units of the Dhamrai Fire Service rushed to the scene and brought the blaze under control by 4:20am, said fire officials.
The damage to the bus was estimated at around Tk2 lakh, while property worth approximately Tk5 lakh was salvaged, according to the Fire Service.
Station Officer Al Amin Khan said preliminary findings suggested the fire was an act of sabotage.
The bus is owned by Lutfor Rahman and bears the registration number Dhaka Metro-Ja-14-2478.
Earlier, a bus belonging to Pavel Paribahan, which was undergoing repairs, was set on fire on Dhamrai Thana Road on Thursday night. Another bus, operated by Polli Seba Paribahan, was torched in the Srirampur area along the Dhaka-Aricha Highway on Friday night.
The Fire Service estimated the combined losses in the two earlier incidents at Tk5 lakh, while property worth Tk9 lakh was salvaged.
Md Al Amin, senior station officer of Dhamrai Fire Service, confirmed the latest incident in a WhatsApp message on Sunday morning.
Dhamrai police station Officer-in-Charge Md Nazmul Huda Khan said three buses had been set on fire in the upazila over the past three days.
He said police had advised bus owners after the previous incident to keep their vehicles under guard or ensure they were closely monitored.
“Despite this, another bus left outside was set on fire. We are investigating various possibilities, including whether the incidents were politically motivated, stemmed from personal enmity or had other causes,” he said.
The OC said the owner of one of the affected buses had filed a complaint with the police station. Police were treating the incidents seriously and working to establish the circumstances behind them.