Two arrested in connection with the attack on computer dealers on Elephant Road

Police arrested two men today in connection with Friday’s attack on two computer sellers on Elephant Road in Dhaka.

The arrested persons, Asiful Haque Asif alias Jhontu, 32, of Shariatpur, and Kawsar Mridha, 24, of Patuakhali, reside in Dhaka’s Hazaribagh and Lalbagh areas respectively, said Mohsin Uddin, officer-in-charge of New Market police station.

The victims, Wahedul Hasan Dipu, president of Elephant Road Computer Baboshayee Kallyan Samity (ECS), and Ehtesamul Haque, joint general secretary of Multiplan Shop Owners Association, were attacked on Friday evening by a group of about 20 assailants armed with machetes.

The attackers, some wearing masks and helmets, carried out the attack near the Multiplan Center around 10:40 p.m. A video of the event has since gone viral on social media.

Masud Alam, deputy commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Ramna division, confirmed that a case had been filed in connection with the attack.

Addressing a press conference at the DMP Media Centre, he said the incident could be linked to the recent election among local business groups.

“While election-related disputes are suspected, we are also considering other possible motives. The investigation is ongoing,” he said.

Speaking to The Daily Star today, one of the victims, Wahedul, who was elected ECS chairman on December 28, said that a few days before the elections, he received a call from someone who identified himself as Chanchal.

“During the conversation, another man joined the conversation and introduced himself as Emon and demanded a monthly payment from me, which I refused,” he said, adding that he ended the call without engaging in further conversation.

When asked about the potential involvement of criminal gang ‘Emon Group’ in extortion activities related to the attack, DC Masud stated that further investigation would be necessary to substantiate such claims.

Describing the attack, Wahedul said the attackers stopped the victims’ cars, smashed the windshield with machetes and then attacked them. Even though the area was full of pedestrians and vehicles and there was a police station nearby, no one intervened.

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