Asif was deliberately targeted in shooting, attackers came from Moghbazar
- Two people were in the CNG auto rickshaw and fired two shots
- Almost all CCTV cameras at Bishal Center are out of order, hampering the investigation
- The vehicle was parked in the parking area, and Asif had been followed beforehand
Asif Akbar
Gunmen have fired at the personal car of popular Bangladeshi singer Asif Akbar. The incident took place in front of Bishal Center in Moghbazar in the capital early Saturday morning.
Sources involved in the investigation said singer Asif Akbar regularly came to his personal IP studio in the Moghbazar area to work at night. Investigators suspect the attackers planned the incident because they were familiar with his routine and whereabouts.
Information obtained from CCTV footage and other sources indicates that the attackers arrived in a CNG auto rickshaw and carried out the shooting. Two people were in the vehicle and fired two shots. The attackers came from the Moghbazar direction and stopped in front of Bishal Center. They then fired two shots at the target and fled toward Malibagh.
Meanwhile, police have encountered some complications during the investigation. Almost all the CCTV cameras at Bishal Center, where the car was parked, were found to be out of order. As a result, police are using footage from other nearby CCTV cameras and technological assistance to identify the perpetrators.
Hatirjheel Police Station Officer in Charge (OC) Md. Asaduzzaman told Agamir Somoy that the singer’s personal car was targeted in a shooting in Moghbazar early in the morning. Asif Akbar was not inside the car at the time. As a result, no casualties occurred.
Police have not yet been able to immediately determine the motive behind the attack or identify those responsible. It also remains unclear whether the attack was linked to any personal, professional or other previous enmity.
OC Md. Asaduzzaman said police were investigating the incident with the utmost importance. A formal investigation has begun to uncover the motive and quickly identify those involved and bring them to justice.
A visit to the scene found numerous law enforcement personnel in uniform and plainclothes investigating the incident in front of Bishal Center. Although CCTV cameras are installed around the building, almost all of them are out of order. Several shops have their own cameras, but there are no CCTV cameras in the parking area, according to reports.
Asif Akbar’s IP studio was locked. However, several people working at the studio were present in the adjacent room along with an office assistant. None of them agreed to speak.
After learning at 1:20 pm that a CCTV camera had been found, this correspondent went to Asif’s studio. Footage from the camera was available for the period between 4:40 am and 4:50 am, but nothing could be seen in the video. It was learned that footage from an earlier CCTV camera showed only the attacker’s feet.
Police said they had launched an investigation into the incident with the utmost importance. They are working to uncover the motive behind the attack and identify those involved as quickly as possible to bring them to justice.
