Journalist Lutfuzzaman Fakir Alif had warned police that his life was in danger and survived an earlier attack by armed assailants.
On Thursday night, he was shot dead outside a tea stall in Netrokona’s Durgapur in what police now believe was a premeditated killing, possibly linked to his reporting on local trafficking and smuggling networks.
The killing has raised questions about whether enough was done to protect the journalist, who had publicly spoken of threats against his life and previously filed a case after being attacked with sharp weapons.
On Saturday, Durgapur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Khandaker Shaker Ahmed Khan told Dhaka Tribune that investigators suspected an organised gang was behind the murder.
He said Alif’s reporting on trafficking, smuggling and other criminal activities could have been a motive, although police had yet to establish who ordered or carried out the killing.
The OC said several police units, including the Detective Branch (DB), Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and District Special Branch (DSB), were working to identify and arrest those responsible.
Alif, the Netrokona correspondent of private IP television channel Rupashi Bangla, also operated a Facebook page called “Detective Article”, where he published reports and videos about alleged irregularities and crimes.
Police said his work had created enemies and that he had previously been warned about possible threats.
‘If they are not arrested, I will have to leave the country’
Nearly a year before his death, Alif had publicly expressed fears that he could be attacked.
A video of him speaking at a meeting with police has resurfaced following his murder.
In the footage, Alif claimed to have received information that people threatening him were waiting on a road with firearms, including a 9mm pistol loaded with five bullets.
He said he had informed police about the threat but alleged that no attempt had been made to arrest those responsible.
Alif warned that if the suspects remained free, he might have to leave Bangladesh to protect himself.
He also spoke of the possibility of being driven into a confrontation with those threatening him.
Responding to questions about the earlier warnings, OC Shaker Ahmed Khan said police had advised Alif to inform them whenever he visited the area so that security could be arranged.
The officer acknowledged that Alif had several enemies and that police had warned him about the risks.
Attacked with sharp weapons last year
The fatal shooting was not the first violent attack on Alif.
On November 10 last year, assailants attacked him with sharp weapons near Teribazar ghat on the Someshwari River in Durgapur.
He sustained injuries in the attack.
When a colleague accompanying him attempted to intervene, the attackers allegedly brandished weapons and chased him away.
Alif subsequently filed a case, and police arrested two named suspects.
Both suspects were later released on bail.
Police have not established whether the earlier attack and Thursday’s killing were connected.
Gunmen strike outside tea stall
According to police and eyewitnesses, Alif was at a tea stall in the Telonzia area of Durgapur on Thursday evening, a short distance from his second wife’s family home.
Around 8pm, he finished drinking tea and left for Birishiri Utrail Bazar.
However, after realising he had left his mobile phone behind, he returned to the stall within approximately three minutes.
As he was leaving with his phone, two young men approached the stall and asked the shopkeeper for cigarettes.
The men then opened fire on Alif, shooting him repeatedly before fleeing.
Residents rushed to the scene after hearing the gunshots.
Alif was taken to the Upazila Health Complex, where a doctor declared him dead.
Police recovered pistol cartridge casings and an unexploded bullet from the scene.
Netrokona Superintendent of Police Md Tariqul Islam, who visited the location, also said preliminary findings suggested the killing had been planned.
Six bullet wounds found
A post-mortem examination conducted at Netrokona Modern Sadar Hospital on Friday found six bullet wounds on Alif’s body.
Dr Shraddhyananda Nath, who conducted the examination, said three wounds were in the chest.
Two bullets passed through his body, while another remained lodged in his back.
One bullet entered through the right side of his forehead and exited through the back of his head.
Two other bullets grazed the skin on his head and near his right shoulder.
Based on the injuries, the physician initially believed Alif had been shot from the front with a pistol.
The findings indicate that the journalist was struck by multiple shots at close range, although the precise distance has not been established.
Wife heard gunshots while feeding children
Alif’s wife, Anandita Sangma, said she was feeding their children when she heard the gunfire.
At first, she thought someone was setting off firecrackers.
Moments later, people began shouting that her husband had been killed.
Anandita said she had never imagined that Alif would be shot dead in such a manner.
She demanded that police identify the killers and ensure exemplary punishment for those who had left her two children without their father.
Alif’s elder brother, Shahid Islam Fakir, said the journalist had made many enemies through his reporting.
He also demanded justice for the killing.
Alif was originally from Sunoi village in Kalmakanda upazila of Netrokona but had been living at his second wife’s family home in Telonzia, Durgapur.
Following the post-mortem examination, his body was buried in the family graveyard in Sunoi village.
Murder case filed, suspects still at large
Anandita filed a murder case with Durgapur Police Station on Friday night, accusing seven to eight unidentified individuals.
Police said they were conducting operations to identify the attackers and determine whether Alif’s reporting on criminal activities had prompted the killing.
OC Shaker Ahmed Khan said investigators were working to establish the identities of the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
He said police suspected an organised group was involved and that the killing had been planned.
However, no arrests had been reported as of Saturday afternoon.
The investigation will also have to establish whether the threats Alif reported to police, the earlier armed attack and his eventual murder were linked.