Armed criminals fired around 50 rounds at locals in Gajaria upazila of Munshiganj on Thursday after being confronted over illegal sand extraction, injuring at least one person.
The attack took place at about 11:45am on the bank of the Meghna River near Sholoani Power Station. Enraged residents managed to seize a dredger.
Injured victim Polash, 35, son of Shah Alam, stated that despite a legal sand mining site, illegal extraction was rampant in Imampur union, causing severe erosion.
鈥極n Thursday, a group arrived with a dredger and motorboat, backed by armed persons, including Mannan, Lalu, Shaikat, Babu, and Amzad. When locals intervened, they fired 17 rounds at us,鈥� he said.
As more locals gathered and encircled the attackers, another armed group arrived by boat and fired about 35 additional rounds to free their associates, he added.
Witnesses reported that police arrived but took no decisive action.
Eyewitness Kawsar Hossain said that mosque announcements mobilised residents, who then seized a dredger. However, the armed persons escaped, firing indiscriminately.
Gajaria Police Station officer-in-charge Md Anwar Alam Azad confirmed the gunfire and said that the river police were informed.
Narayanganj river police superintendent Alamgir Hossain, however, stated he was unaware of the incident but would investigate.
