A River Police patrol team came under a sudden armed attack by unidentified armed group in the Padma River in Pabna, leaving six people including an Officer-In-charge with gunshot wounds.
The injured police were stationed at the Lakshmikunda River Police Outpost in Ishwardi of Pabna district.
Police in Pabna and Kushtia has confirmed the matter.
The incident has raised fresh concerns over the law and order situation in the riverine areas in both Pabna and Kushtia.
According to police and local sources, the attack took place between approximately 1:10am and 1:50am on Tuesday night (April 21) in the Haripur stretch of the Padma River under Kushtia district, adjacent to Pabna.
Police said, a patrol team from the Lakshmikunda River Police Outpost in Ishwardi of Pabna was carrying out routine duty when unidentified armed assailants suddenly opened fire on them.
Police personnel retaliated that triggered a gunfight between the both groups lasted for some time. During the exchange, Khondkar Shafiqul Islam, Officer in-charge (OC) of the Lakshmikunda outpost, was shot. Other injured police include Enamul Haque, Shahinur Haque, Nazmul Hasan, Manik Mia and the boatman carrying the police Ali Askari.
Receiving information, a police team from Pabna rescued them rushed to Pabna General Hospital. One of them was later shifted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment as his condition was critical. The others are currently undergoing treatment.
Additional Superintendent of Police in Pabna, Md. Mashiur Rahman, said that additional police forces and river patrols have been deployed in the areas following the incident. Drives are ongoing to identify and arrest those responsible.
Kushtia Superintendent of Police Mohammad Jasim Uddin confirmed that two teams from Kushtia have visited the scene.
Law enforcement sources said that this stretch of the Padma River has long been known as a hotspot for smuggling, illegal sand extraction and the movement of inter-district criminal networks.
Investigation of police suspect that an organised criminal group may have carried out the attack to protect its operations, a high police official in Kushtia said it to The Kushtia Times.