DHAKA MEDICAL COLLEGE ENT HEAD ASSAULTED FOLLOWING EXTORTION THREATS
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Professor Asadur Rahman, head of the Ear, Nose, and Throat department at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, is undergoing treatment following a targeted assault in the capital’s Shantinagar area. The 55-year-old physician, currently recovering with a severe eye injury, believes the attack may be linked to a recent extortion attempt involving a demand for 15,000 U.S. dollars.
Dr. Rahman reported that he received messages several days prior to the attack, purportedly sent in the name of Chittagong-based figure David Emon, demanding the payment by August 15. Although he initially dismissed the threats as fraudulent, the assault on August 17, occurring two days after the deadline, has raised significant concerns.
Recounting the incident, Dr. Rahman stated that he was traveling in an auto-rickshaw after leaving his chamber at Popular Diagnostic Center when four unidentified individuals intercepted the vehicle. Despite his instructions to the driver to keep the doors locked, the assailants forced their way inside and assaulted him. The attackers claimed the violence was retaliation for the alleged medical malpractice involving a relative, yet they failed to identify the patient or provide further details when pressed.
Following the attack, Dr. Rahman received a series of threatening messages from the same number used for the extortion demands. One message mockingly asked, “How do you feel now,” while subsequent communications questioned if he wanted “further trouble” or if he preferred the attackers to “send media personnel” to his location.
Local bystanders managed to detain one suspect at the scene and handed him over to the police. According to Dr. Rahman, the apprehended individual, identified as Jibon, later admitted to police that he had been lured into the attack by promises of a mobile phone and claims that the doctor was wealthy. Jibon reportedly hails from Ramganj in Lakshmipur, an area known to the victim.
Dr. Rahman has since filed a case at the Paltan Police Station. While the formal complaint references the extortion attempt, it notably omits the mention of David Emon and the subsequent threatening text messages. Expressing dissatisfaction with the local police investigation, the professor has formally requested that the case be transferred to the Detective Branch.
Shafiqul Islam, an inspector at the Paltan Police Station, stated that initial investigations suggest the attack may have been motivated by personal enmity, though he noted that more clarity will emerge once all suspects are apprehended. Law enforcement sources confirmed that, based on the interrogation of the initial detainee and digital forensic analysis, a second suspect has been identified, and efforts to execute an arrest are ongoing.
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