‘You will be shot in such a way that your family won’t even be able to count’

A journalist in Chattogram has been accused of demanding a ransom of Tk 50 lakh and threatening to kill him. The audio message sent on WhatsApp says, ‘You will be shot in such a way that your family won’t even be able to count.’

The victim, journalist Biplob De Partha, has filed a general diary (GD) with the city’s Kotwali police station in this incident.

The victim, Biplob De Partha, works as a senior reporter at Bangla TV’s Chattogram office. He alleged that a foreign number first demanded a ransom of Tk 50 lakh through an audio message on WhatsApp on Saturday afternoon (May 9). If he refused to pay the money, he was threatened with death within 24 hours.

The audio message says, ‘You will be shot all over your body in such a way that your family won’t even be able to count. Which must be done within the next 24 hours.’

Biplob De Partha said that the threat maker introduced himself as an associate of fugitive terrorist Sajjad Ali alias Boro Sajjad abroad.

He said, first a ransom was demanded, then a time limit was set by threatening him. Since the matter is serious, I have filed a GD with the police station and am worried about my safety.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kotwali Police Station Aftab Uddin said that the complaint has been accepted. The matter will be investigated and necessary legal action will be taken.

According to police and local sources, the threat maker, Mobarak Hossain Emon, is known to be associated with several notorious terrorist groups in Chattogram. He is a resident of Kanchannagar in Fatikchhari Upazila. It is also known that there are several cases of murder and terrorist activities against him.

Among them, there are allegations of his involvement in the double murder in Baklia on March 30, 2025 and the murder in the Patenga beach area on May 23 of the same year.

The incident has raised concerns among the journalist community in Chattogram. Those concerned said that such threats while performing their professional duties have raised new concerns about their safety.