Two more arrested, including suspected mastermind, over attack on DMCH doctor

The Wari Division of the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police has arrested two more people, including the suspected mastermind, in connection with the attack on Professor Md Asadur Rahman of the Department of ENT and Head-Neck Surgery at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

The arrestees are Sani Saha, 38, and Fatin Israk Labib, 20. They were arrested yesterday night (22 August) from Shonir Akhra in Jatrabari and Nikunja in Khilkhet in the capital.

DMP Additional Commissioner and DB chief Md Shafiqul Islam disclosed the information at a press conference at the DMP Media Centre on Sunday (23 August).

He said Professor Asadur Rahman was returning home after seeing patients at Popular Diagnostic Centre at around 10:30pm on 17 August. At around 10:45pm, when he was getting into a CNG-run autorickshaw, several people, including Jibon alias Adil, blocked his way.

When he asked why they had stopped him, the attackers dragged him out of the CNG and started beating him. At one stage, Jibon alias Adil struck him in the right eye. The others hit him on the head, above both eyes and different parts of his body. He was also threatened and intimidated.

People present at the scene informed police, and personnel from Paltan Model Police Station quickly went there and detained Jibon alias Adil. The others fled. Professor Asadur Rahman later received treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

He further said Professor Asadur Rahman filed a case with Paltan Model Police Station against Jibon alias Adil and several unidentified people over the incident.

According to the case statement, several days before the incident, a call from an unknown number demanded $15,000 in extortion money from him.

The DB chief further said that after launching an investigation into the case, detectives began surveillance to identify others involved in the attack.

As part of the operation, Sani Saha was arrested at around 12:20am from the Goalpara-Kadamtali area of Shonir Akhra in Jatrabari. At around 2:30am the same night, Fatin Israk Labib was arrested from Nikunja-2 in Khilkhet.

According to DB, Sani Saha said during interrogation that he worked as a project manager at an interior design company in Singapore on a work permit visa from 2022 to 2025. In 2023, he became acquainted with a person named Jannat Alamgir Hossain.

That person allegedly offered him a way to earn money through money laundering. Sani told DB that he later invested Tk5 crore in the business at different times and suffered losses.

DB said that after returning to Bangladesh in August 2024, Sani met Jannat Alamgir Hossain in Bashundhara Residential Area.

Sani said he was then assigned to collect personal information about affluent people, including their home addresses, vehicle numbers, professions, movements and financial details.

DB said that alongside collecting the information, a plan was made to extort large sums of money from Professor AKM Aminul Haque and Professor Md Asadur Rahman by threatening to kill them.

Sani Saha later assigned Fatin Israk Labib to recruit people to take part in the attack.

During interrogation, Labib said he became acquainted with Sani through food delivery around two and a half months before the incident. They later met in person in the North South University area.

He then proposed recruiting Abu Bakar, 18, Ratul, 19, Iban, 22, Jibon, 21, and Sabbir, 18, to attack Professor Asadur Rahman in exchange for Tk1 lakh.

Police said the group later carried out the attack on Professor Asadur Rahman. Iban and Jibon have been arrested in connection with the incident and are currently in jail.

DB said separate cases under the Arms Act have been filed against arrestees Sani Saha and Fatin Israk Labib with Vatara Police Station.