The brutal daylight killing of Emon Hossain alias “Alex Emon” in Mohammadpur last Sunday was driven by a long-running rivalry over territorial control and criminal dominance, police say.
Investigators found that the immediate trigger -- a dispute over a stolen mobile phone -- was only the latest flashpoint in an ongoing conflict between Emon’s “Alex Group” and a rival juvenile gang known as the Arman-Shahrukh group.
According to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) sources, both groups operated in adjacent areas of Rayerbazar and were involved in extortion, drug trade and other criminal activities.
The proximity of their territories had fuelled repeated clashes over control of lucrative spots, including mobile shops, garages and local markets.
On Sunday morning, a confrontation between the two groups began in Kamrangirchar over the division of proceeds from a stolen phone.
The dispute escalated into a chase, with Emon and his associates retreating toward Rayerbazar.
Police said tensions reignited later in the afternoon when rival gang members tracked Emon down.
Around 4pm, a group of 10 to 15 attackers armed with machetes cornered him in a lane near Rayerbazar and hacked him repeatedly in a targeted assault.
CCTV footage of the attack, which later went viral, shows Emon being chased, falling to the ground, and then being surrounded and attacked.
He was taken to Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Police have so far arrested four suspects, all linked to the rival group, and recovered sharp weapons used in the attack. More arrests are expected.
Officials say the killing was part of a broader struggle for control in the area.
“This was not an isolated incident,” said a senior police official. “The motive was to establish dominance.”
Emon, who had multiple criminal cases against him, had reportedly returned to the area that morning to reassert control -- setting off the chain of events that led to his killing.
