Two computer dealers broke into a city street

A group of about 20 attackers armed with machetes attacked two computer shop owners on the capital’s Elephant Road.

Some of the attackers wore masks while others had helmets during the minute-and-a-half-long attack outside the Multiplan Center on Friday around 10:40 p.m., said one of the victims, Wahedul Hasan Dipu.

Apart from Wahedul, president of Elephant Road Computer Baboshayee Kallyan Samity, Ehtesamul Haque, general secretary of Multiplan Shopkeepers Association, was injured in the attack.

Wahedul said he and Ehteshamul called for help as the area was full of pedestrians and vehicles. There was also a police station and a traffic police station nearby, but no one came forward. A video of the incident went viral on social media.

Wahedul told The Daily Star yesterday that the attackers stopped the car and smashed the windshield with machetes before attacking them.

Police said Ehtesamul was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Dhaka.

Tariq Latif, deputy commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said some of the attackers had been identified and police were searching for them.

He said police had previously received complaints about disputes between business groups, adding that officers were also investigating whether the attack was motivated by business disputes or extortion.

Yesterday afternoon, shop owners on Elephant Road held a human chain, demanding the immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of the attackers.