A ward-level leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League was shot dead by a gang of extortionists in the capital’s Rampura Sunday evening.
Identified as Md Uzzal, 25, a student of Badda Model College and a member of Ward-98 unit of BCL, the student affiliate of the ruling Awami League, died on the spot when the armed gang sprayed bullets at him indiscriminately near Rampura bridge around 7:30pm.
Khairul Islam, a leader of Badda thana unit of BCL, alleged that local criminals Md Hasan and Miazi led the gun attack on Uzzal for protesting widespread extortion on transport workers by the gang members.
He said centring the holy Eid-ul-Fitr, the gang had been realising extra toll from the employees of the human haulers that ply on the roads of Rampura.
“Besides, the extortionist gang also had kidnapped Abu Bakkar, owner of a few human haulers, for not paying extortion money,” he said.
“Uzzal came under the attack as he was leading the protest, Saturday, against the extortion and kidnapping of Bakkar,” said Khairul, who along with some others brought bullet-hit Uzzal to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Rampura police said they were trying to arrest the killers.
Meanwhile, another gang of extortionists shot at a fish trader and snatched Tk56,000 away from him in Badda in the afternoon.
Earlier in the afternoon, another gang of criminals shot fish trader Abu Noman, storming into his Merul Badda residence, snatched Tk56,000 and four mobile phone sets away from him at around 3pm.
Hailing from the Gopalganj district, Noman was admitted to DMCH with a bullet his in his left leg.
Injured Noman, who is the owner of ‘Gopalganj Motsya Arot’, alleged that a gang of local criminals led by Saddam and Monir had been demanding money from him as the Eid-ul-Fitr approaches.
“The gang members stormed into my rented house at Merul Badda and snatched Tk56,000. As I tried to resist, they shot my leg and fled,” said Noman.
Mohammad Iqbal Hossain, officer-in-charge of Badda police station, said they were trying to arrest Saddam, Monir and other members of the gang.