Rupganj Correspondent: The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-11) has arrested Shafiqul Islam Shafiq, a top terrorist accused of shooting a businessman for refusing to pay extortion money in Rupganj. The arrest was made from the Sabujbagh area of the capital.
During the operation, which took place in the early hours of Friday, RAB recovered one foreign-made revolver and four rounds of bullets from the suspect.
Narayanganj RAB-11 Company Commander Lieutenant Naeem Ul Haque confirmed the arrest and the seizure of the weapon.
According to RAB investigations, the incident occurred on the afternoon of Saturday, October 18, in the Karnagop area of Tarabo Municipality. The victim, businessman Lokman Hossain (30), was shot after he failed to meet a Tk 5 lakh extortion demand from Shafiq and his associates.
Lokman, who runs a food and beverage business, had already been forced to pay Tk 1 lakh to the gang after they threatened to shut down his establishment. On the day of the shooting, Shafiq and his accomplices returned on a motorcycle to demand the remaining Tk 4 lakh.
When Lokman expressed his inability to pay, the assailants opened fire, with one bullet striking him in the right leg. As people rushed to the scene, the terrorists exploded a crude bomb to create panic and fled the area. The critically injured Lokman was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
The incident, which was widely reported in the media, prompted RAB-11 to intensify its intelligence operations.
"Based on specific intelligence, a special team of RAB-11 conducted a raid in the Mothertek area of Sabujbagh at 4:20 am today and arrested the accused," said Lt. Haque.
The arrested individual, Shafiqul Islam Shafiq (36), is a resident of Karnagop in Rupganj but was living as a tenant in the Sabujbagh area. According to RAB, he is the accused in at least six criminal cases filed with the Rupganj Police Station.
Shafiq has been handed over to the Sabujbagh Police Station for further legal proceedings.
