2 shot, four held in Adabor house seizure case

Two people were injured in police gunfire during an operation to arrest suspects in a case involving an alleged attempt to seize a house, vandalism and extortion in the capital’s Adabor area.

Police said the suspects tried to attack officers with machetes during the operation, prompting a constable to fire two rounds in self-defence.

The injured, Rajib Hawlader, 30, and Sagar, 24, sustained gunshot wounds to their legs and were sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital for treatment. Two others, Shakib, 23, and Rashed, 24, were also arrested, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 10.

Adabor police said the operation began around 2am on Tuesday following a tip-off about the suspects’ whereabouts. Seven to eight people were at the spot, an open area beside a canal behind a playground near Kacha Bazar in Naboday Housing.

As police moved to arrest them, the suspects allegedly attacked with machetes. The remaining suspects fled after the firing. Police recovered machetes, a samurai sword and a kirich from the scene.
Adabor police OC Zahidul Islam said police opened fire in self-defence and legal action would follow.

Police said Sagar has eight cases filed with Adabor and Mohammadpur police stations, while Rajib is a named accused in the Babu murder case in Mohammadpur. Shakib and Rashed each have five cases, according to police.

The latest arrests followed an alleged attack and vandalism at a house in Shyamoli Housing on Sunday by a group of 15 to 20 people armed with machetes, ramdas and pistols. A case was filed with Adabor police station.

Police said the two sides have a long-running dispute over ownership of the house and a related case is pending in court.