A journalist was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Netrokona’s Durgapur upazila last night.
The victim, Lutfozzaman Fakir Alif, from Sunai village in Pogla union of Kalmakanda upazila, was the Netrokona correspondent of private IPTV channel Ruposhi Bangla. He also ran a Facebook page called “Detective Article”, where he regularly posted about alleged corruption, irregularities and criminal activities.
The attack took place around 8:00pm at Uttarail Bazar on the Shyamganj-Birishiri Road.
According to police and local sources, Alif was chatting with others at a shop when two young men arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire at him.
Hearing the gunshots, locals rushed to the scene, but the attackers fled on their motorcycle.
Alif was taken to Durgapur Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead.
Khondokar Shaker Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Durgapur Police Station, said Alif had at least three bullet wounds to his head, neck and chest.
“We are investigating the killing and making every effort to arrest those involved,” the OC told The Daily Star.
He said police could not immediately identify the attackers or find a motive behind the killing.
On November 10 last year, Alif had survived an attack near Teribazar Ghat on the Someshwari river in Durgapur. Unidentified assailants hacked him with a knife, while one of his colleagues was allegedly threatened with a weapon when he tried to intervene.