2 held as shots fired on expressway following parking dispute

Two people have been arrested after two rounds of gunfire were allegedly fired at pedestrians beside the Bhanga Expressway in Faridpur following an argument over vehicle parking.

The Special Response Battalion (SRB)-1 arrested the alleged shooter and a woman who was in the car with him.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Md Hamidul Gazi, 42, and Fatema Islam Eni, 26. According to SRB, Hamidul allegedly fired the shots while Eni was accompanying him in the vehicle.

SRB said the suspects were identified through an investigation and intelligence gathering following the incident. They were arrested late Tuesday night (September 15) from the Imperial Swiss Garden Hotel in Banani, Dhaka.

The information was disclosed at a press briefing held Wednesday (September 16) at the SRB-1 office in Uttara. Lieutenant Colonel Md Neyamul Halim Khan, commander of SRB-1, briefed reporters.

He said Hamidul Gazi left Dhaka for Gopalganj on the night of August 17 with Fatema Islam in a maroon-coloured private car. On the way, they stopped beside the Bhanga Expressway to have betel leaf, where they got into an argument with several local people over parking.

At one point, Hamidul allegedly became agitated, took out an illegal pistol from the car and fired two rounds to intimidate the pedestrians. He then drove away towards Gopalganj. A case was subsequently filed with Bhanga Police Station.

Following preliminary verification of the incident and intelligence gathering, SRB-1 later traced the whereabouts of Hamidul and Fatema.

The SRB-1 commander said the private car allegedly used in the incident was recovered from a garage based on information provided by the two arrested individuals. However, the pistol allegedly used in the shooting has not yet been recovered. An operation is underway to locate it.

He said the two suspects, along with the recovered vehicle, were handed over to Airport Police Station for legal action.