Five members of a family suffered burn injuries as unidentified miscreants set fire on a house of a ruling Awami League leader in city’s outskirts Dohar early Tuesday.
Talking to the local journalists, Aminul Islam, additional superintendent of police, said miscreants set the house of one Julhas on fire by pouring petrol around 4:00am.
“Police are trying to arrest the arsonists,” he said.
AL leader Julhas Alam, 53, his wife Fahima Akter, 35, two children—Jannat 13 and Junayed 8 and their niece Tabassum 10 sustained burn injuries in the arson attack.
According to the police, miscreants locked the main door from the outside before setting the house on fire.
Hearing screams for help, neighbours rushed to the spot and rescued them. On information, a fire-fighting unit went to the spot and doused the fire. Locals say that, after recuing the victims, they first took the victims at Dohar Upazila Health Complex. Later, they were shifted to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in the capital.
Victim Fahima Akhtar told reporters that they were sleeping at the time of the incident.
“We along the kids took shelter in the bathroom to save us from the fire. Later relatives broke the wall of the bathroom and brought us out,” she said.
Responding to a question, Fahima said her husband involved in Awami League politics.
“My husband hosted a dinner party at our house during the recently held parliamentary elections.
I cannot say who or why the miscreants wanted to burn us,” she added.