Noakhali Correspondent

 A horrific terrorist attack was reportedly carried out on the afternoon of Sunday, May 25, at the house of Nuku Mia Bepari in Ward No. 2 of Hajipur Union under Begumganj Upazila in Noakhali. Since the attack, over the past 48 hours, the attackers have continued to patrol the area searching for Abul Hossain Bablu and Mahfuzur Rahman with the intent to kill, putting several elderly women of Nuku Mia Bepari's household at serious risk. 

Ayesha Begum, the ailing mother of Abul Hossain Bablu, said that due to fear of the terrorists, they haven't even lit the stove to cook for the past three days. “We are living on barely anything,” she said. “The terrorists come to our house morning and evening looking for my son Bablu.”

Referring to the incident, the victim family filed a complaint at Begumganj police station on the 5th. According to the complaint, a notorious criminal named Monju alias Yaba Bali, an accused in several cases from Ward No. 9 of Hajipur Union, led a group of 25-30 terrorists who entered the house with local and foreign weapons after firing blank shots. Failing to find Bablu, they held the women of the house hostage at gunpoint and looted extensively. The looted items included BDT 4 lakh in cash, 2 vori of gold ornaments, mobile phones, and chargers. They fired blanks again in a cinematic style while leaving and issued further threats of attack. Monju alias Yaba Bali reportedly threatened, saying, “You must return the cost of the six rounds I fired—deliver the money to my house.”

Multiple eyewitnesses told this reporter that the weapons used appeared to be pistols and shotguns and seemed similar to those used by police. Earlier, the same terrorist group had kidnapped Bablu, Mahfuz’s cousin, demanding a ransom of BDT 1 lakh. He was later recovered with the help of locals after paying BDT 15,000. The family has reportedly been subjected to repeated extortion attempts and attacks for failing to meet the demands.

The sole demand of the victim family now is that the police stand by them in resisting these terrorists. The accused Mahfuzur Rahman Rana and Bablu are now homeless and are visiting various administrative offices seeking safety. As of the latest updates, from May 25 to the evening of May 27, there was no report of Begumganj police arriving at the crime scene.

When contacted by phone, Begumganj Police Station OC  Liton Dewan said he was unaware of any shooting or looting incidents. He referred further inquiries to the Investigation Officer (IO) SI Kutub Uddin Liyon. Later, SI Liyon stated that they received the complaint in the afternoon on May 26. 

He confirmed hearing about gunfire in the area and mentioned that he has been in regular contact with complainant Mahfuzur Rahman Rana. He further added that he plans to visit the scene on the morning of May 28.