Some 20-25 miscreants allegedly made an attempt to seize an eight-storey building in the Shyamoli Housing area of Adabor in the capital on Saturday morning.
The group, allegedly armed with locally made weapons, attacked the house around 6:30am, repeatedly striking the main gate with machetes and other weapons. They also smashed CCTV cameras and windowpanes.
Monir Hossain, nephew of the building's owner Aminur Rahman Khan, told Dhaka Tribune on Sunday afternoon that the attackers initially opened the main gate and ordered everyone inside to leave.
“When no one came out, they threatened those inside, saying, ‘Give us money. You stay in the house but don’t pay money. Get out,’” he said.
The attackers then allegedly began hacking at the gate with machetes and attempted to enter the house. When they failed to gain entry, they vandalized the property and fled, Monir said.
He said the group later used pieces of brick to break the glass of two more windows on the second floor.
Following the attack, several tenants came downstairs and informed police. A complaint was subsequently filed over the incident.
According to Monir, the building had previously been occupied by a man named Khorshed Alam on August 17, 2024. The family filed a complaint with Adabor police, but no resolution was reached, he said. They later filed a case in court and regained possession of the house through a court order on March 12 this year.
The current owner, Aminur Rahman, is a businessman. Monir said the property had also been occupied once after August 5, 2024.
Adabor police station Officer-in-Charge Zahidul Islam told Dhaka Tribune that police had received a complaint regarding an attempt to seize the house and the display of weapons in the area.
“The matter is being investigated. Efforts are underway to arrest the accused,” he said.
He added that Aminur Rahman and Khorshed Alam had been involved in a legal dispute over the property.
“There have been incidents of counter-occupation involving this property before. We had asked both parties to come to the police station for a settlement, but they did not come,” he said.
