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A businessman and newspaper editor narrowly escaped an apparent assassination attempt after unidentified gunmen opened fire on his moving private car in Chattogram’s Hathazari upazila late Tuesday night.
The victim, SM Shahid Ullah Rony (46), editor of the Chattogram-based daily Priyo Shomoy, has filed a case with Hathazari Model Police Station against 10 to 12 unidentified assailants.
The attack took place around 12:30 am on Wednesday in the Charabottola area of Rahimpur under Mekhal Union along the Hathazari-Rangamati highway.
According to police, Rony left Aman Bazar in Hathazari around 11:30 pm after finishing business and was driving towards his home in Raozan. As he reached Charabottola, 10 to 12 armed men on several motorcycles allegedly attempted to block his vehicle.
The attackers first hurled bricks at the windscreen before opening indiscriminate fire from both sides of the moving vehicle.
Sensing the danger, Rony switched off the vehicle’s headlights and ducked below the steering wheel to protect himself. The attackers fled when another vehicle approached from the opposite direction.
Rony then called the national emergency service (999), after which police and local residents arrived at the scene and rescued him.
Police recovered spent bullet casings from the scene. Investigators also found three bullet marks on the right side of the vehicle and two on the left. The complaint estimates the damage to the car at around Tk300,000.
Speaking to reporters, Rony said he had been targeted several times in recent months. He alleged that an organised criminal group involved in disputes over his brickfield business was behind the attack.
He also claimed that his home had been attacked on previous occasions.
Around 2:00 am, Rony filed a case accusing the unidentified attackers of attempted murder and attempted robbery.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Hathazari Circle) Kazi Tarek Aziz confirmed that police had recovered evidence, including bullet casings, and were working to identify and arrest those involved.
Officer-in-Charge of Hathazari Model Police Station Md Zahidur Rahman said forensic evidence had been collected from the scene and that the investigation was ongoing.
The incident comes just days after another shooting in Hathazari on July 26, when gunfire was allegedly linked to an extortion demand over a building under construction, raising fresh concerns among local business owners over deteriorating security in the area.
