Special Correspondent //

Police have arrested Golam Mohiuddin Chowdhury (66), a former army officer and an accused in the case filed over the illegal entry, vandalism of content creator Salman Muqtadir’s studio, assault, and looting at the New Guinea Properties housing project in South Manikdi, near the capital’s ECB Chattar. A team from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Detective Branch (Gulshan Division) arrested him during a raid in the capital’s Segunbagicha area on Wednesday afternoon.

The arrest of Mohiuddin Chowdhury was confirmed today in a press release issued by the DMP’s Media and Public Relations Wing. The DMP stated that the arrested individual is a retired Major General of the Army. With this arrest, a total of seven people have been taken into custody in connection with the incident.

Late at night on September 26, a group of armed individuals attacked the housing project site of New Guinea Properties Limited near ECB Chattar. During the attack, they fired approximately 50 rounds indiscriminately and assaulted people using *ramdas* (large machetes), daggers, and sticks.

At one point, the attackers entered the studio of popular content creator Salman Muqtadir, causing extensive damage and looting various items. That same night, Salman Muqtadir posted a video on social media showing the vandalized studio, sparking widespread discussion across the country.

This attack—occurring the night after the Radda MCH-FP Center (a maternal and child health facility) in Mirpur was demolished late at night—has raised questions regarding the law and order situation in the country.

Saiful Islam Bhuiyan, an official of the project, filed a case at Cantonment Police Station regarding the incident. The case names 13 individuals and lists another 150 to 200 unidentified persons as accused.

Three Accused Remanded

A court has granted a three-day remand for three other accused individuals arrested in connection with this attack and looting case. Today, the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Siddiq Azad issued this order following a petition by the investigating officer, Sub-Inspector (SI) Subrata Debnath of Cantonment Police Station.

State counsel Harun-or-Rashid confirmed this information to the media. He stated that although the investigating officer had sought a five-day remand, the court granted a three-day remand.

The accused placed on remand are Mamun (32), Aslam (24), and Munna (29). On this day, the investigating officer applied for a five-day remand for the accused. Defense lawyers petitioned to reject the remand request, while the prosecution presented arguments in favor of it. After hearing both sides, the court ordered a three-day remand.

The case filed regarding the incident states that a group of approximately 50 miscreants carried out the attack. Several individuals, including site engineer Md. Parvez, sustained serious injuries. The attackers looted a large quantity of items—including cash, laptops, computers, BRB cables, cameras, and professional media equipment—from the project site. Vehicles were also vandalized.

The complaint alleges that the plaintiff’s company suffered damages amounting to approximately Tk 1 crore 42 lakh 80 thousand, with goods worth Tk 1 crore 50 lakh 43 thousand being stolen. During the incident, the studio named ‘Brown Fish’—owned by the well-known content creator Salman Muqtadir—was also trespassed upon, vandalized, and looted.

Upon receiving news of the incident, police from Cantonment Police Station arrived at the scene, and the attackers fired shots at them. In self-defense and to bring the situation under control, the police fired five shotgun rounds. Two of the accused named in the First Information Report (FIR) were arrested at the scene. Subsequently, another individual was arrested following a raid. Locally made weapons and spent bullet casings were recovered from the arrested individuals.

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