Businessman shot inside shop over land dispute in Dhaka's Kadamtali, 5 arrested

Police have arrested five people over an alleged attempt to kill a businessman by shooting him inside his shop in the capital's Kadamtali area, saying the attack stemmed from a longstanding dispute over a piece of land.

The arrestees are Monjurul Islam, Iqbal, Kalu, Aklima Akter Runia and Sonia Yasmin.

Mallik Ahsan Uddin Sami, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Wari division, disclosed the information at a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre on Minto Road this afternoon (9 September).

He said an assailant entered Messrs Lucky Crockeries on Zia Sarani under Kadamtali Police Station around 8:15pm on 5 September and opened fire indiscriminately at shop owner Mohammad Aslam Khan.

Aslam was shot in the right side of his face and left elbow and was later taken to hospital for treatment, the DC said.

Local residents helped detain Manzurul Islam at the scene shortly after the attack.

Police recovered a revolver, nine live rounds, a pistol and a pistol magazine from him. Several bullet casings and a motorcycle were also recovered from the scene, according to police.

Acting on information provided by Manzurul, police arrested Iqbal and Kalu in Kadamtali later that night. Runia and Sonia were subsequently arrested during an operation in the Dakshinkhan area.

The DC said CCTV footage showed six people at the scene during the attack. Four of them have so far been arrested, while police are conducting operations to apprehend the remaining suspects.

He said Sonia and Runia allegedly acted as "carriers" for the weapons and admitted during interrogation that they had brought the firearms to the scene in vanity bags.

According to police, the two women also attended a meeting with other members of the group before the attack. The group allegedly collected the weapons from Uttarkhan, assembled at a designated location and then travelled to the shop according to a plan.

Police said their investigation indicates that the attack was linked to a longstanding land dispute.

According to DC Sami, a plot purchased by Aslam Khan and his associates had remained under the possession of Jalil Mondal for years.

After lengthy litigation, Aslam won a court ruling over the property. On 17 August, Jalil was evicted in the presence of a magistrate and possession of the land was handed over to Aslam, police said.

Investigators suspect that anger over losing possession of the land led to a plan to kill Aslam.

Police said the preliminary investigation indicates the shooting was intended to kill rather than merely intimidate the businessman.

The attacker fired at Aslam from close range, while the victim also tried to resist during the assault, the DC said.

A case has been filed with Kadamtali Police Station in connection with the attack, and the arrested suspects have been sent to court.

Police are continuing operations to arrest the two remaining suspects as well as Jalil Mondal, whom investigators have identified as a key figure in the land dispute.

Investigators are also looking into the source of the firearms, how the weapons reached the attackers and whether anyone else was involved in planning the attack, the DC added.