Barishal:The homes of three suspects involved in the murder of a Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal worker were set on fire in the Satla area of Wazirpur upazila on Saturday night. The arson attack targeted the residences of Sajal Molla, 38, Shamim Molla, 36, both sons of Farid Molla of Alamdi village, and Iqbal Hossain alias Nannu Molla, around 1000 p.m.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the attack followed the murder of Kawsar Howlader, a 37-year-old Jubo Dal worker, who was hacked to death near the Satla Bridge on Friday night. Witness Rashed Amin Howlader, who was also injured, recounted that they were attacked by a group of 18 to 20 people while seeking refuge in a nearby house. Kawsar was critically injured and later declared dead at Kotalipara Upazila Health Complex.
Rashed alleged that the murder was the result of a previous altercation over a drug-related dispute. He also claimed that individuals from Dhaka and Barishal arrived in the area in microbuses and motorcycles before the attack.
Following the murder, police apprehended nine individuals from the Padma Bridge South Police Station toll plaza area, allegedly attempting to flee in a microbus, and recovered sharp weapons from them. Wazirpur Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Rakibul Islam stated that initial investigations suggest the murder stemmed from a trivial dispute. He confirmed that the police had visited the scene of the arson and that further action would be taken if a case is filed regarding the incident.