Ten people have been arrested in a case filed over an alleged attempt to seize a house, vandalise property and extort money in Adabor, Dhaka, police said.
Four of the suspects, including two who were injured in police gunfire, were arrested during an overnight operation. Police said they opened fire in self-defence after the suspects allegedly attempted to attack officers with machetes.
The incident took place around 2:30am on Monday in an open area beside a canal behind a playground near Kacha Bazar in Naboday Housing, Adabor.
The two injured suspects were identified as Rajib Howlader, 30, and Sagar, 24. Both sustained gunshot wounds to their legs and were taken to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital for treatment.
The other two arrested during the operation were identified as Shakib, 23, and Rashed, 24.
Adabor police said they launched the operation around 2am based on information about the suspects’ whereabouts. Seven to eight people were present at the scene.
When police attempted to arrest them, the suspects allegedly tried to attack officers with machetes. Police then fired two rounds from a shotgun carried by a constable in self-defence, according to police.
Rajib and Sagar were injured, while the others fled. Police recovered numerous weapons from the scene.
Adabor police station Officer-in-Charge Zahidul Islam said police opened fire after the suspects allegedly attempted to attack them.
“The injured were sent to hospital. Legal action will be taken in connection with the incident,” he said.
The OC said six people had previously been arrested in the case, and the four arrests during the overnight operation brought the total number of suspects arrested to 10.
According to police, Sagar has eight cases filed against him with Adabor and Mohammadpur police stations. Rajib is a named accused in the Babu murder case in Mohammadpur.
Shakib and Rashed each have five cases against them, police said.
On Sunday, a group of 15-20 people allegedly attacked a house in Shyamoli Housing, Adabor, carrying machetes, ramdas and pistols, in an alleged attempt to seize the property.
A case was filed with Adabor police station over the incident.
Police said the two sides had been involved in a longstanding dispute over ownership of the house and that a court case concerning the property is ongoing.
