Bodyguard Seriously Injured in Gun Attack by Armed Men on Padma River in Bheramara

A bodyguard named Shariful Islam Rabi, 40, was seriously injured after a group of armed men allegedly opened fire on a speedboat during a trial run on the Padma River in Bheramara, Kushtia.

The incident took place in the early hours of Friday near Baggari Para in Golapnagar, along the Padma River in the upazila. Rabi is the bodyguard of Monirul Islam Moni, owner of Moni Park. He is the son of the late Alamgir Hossain of Muslimpur Fakirpara village in Bahadurpur Union.

According to the victim and local sources, Monirul Islam Moni had purchased a new speedboat several days ago. As the boat had remained unused for a long period, it had developed mechanical problems. An expert engineer was subsequently brought from Dhaka to install a new engine.

Early Friday morning, Monirul and his associates took the speedboat onto the Padma River to test the performance of the newly installed engine.

At one point, a group of armed men allegedly lying in wait suddenly opened several rounds of indiscriminate fire targeting the speedboat.

One of the bullets reportedly passed through the muscle of Rabi’s left arm and exited through the left side of his chest, leaving him seriously injured and bleeding heavily.

He was immediately rescued and taken to Bheramara Health Complex. As his condition deteriorated, he was transferred to Kushtia Medical College Hospital. Later, at around 3 p.m. on Friday, he was sent to Dhaka on an emergency basis for advanced medical treatment.

Confirming the incident, Bheramara Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Muhammad Zahedur Rahman said police visited the scene after receiving information about the shooting.

He said police would investigate the incident and take necessary legal action if the victim files a complaint.

Lakshmikunda Naval Police Station OC Shariful Islam also confirmed that police had visited the location and assessed the situation. However, no written complaint had been filed regarding the incident as of Friday.

He said further legal action would be taken once a formal complaint is received.