It was yet another chilling episode of the extortion and mugging epidemic sweeping Bangladesh under BNP rule: A gang of BNP-affiliated terrorists stormed Abir Embroidery Factory in Adabor’s Monsurabad Housing on Saturday night, brutally hacking two workers with samurai swords, choppers, and knives in a vicious attempt to extort money and snatch phones.
The savage attack has left the nation reeling, as violent crime spirals out of control since the political upheaval of August 2024.
Around 9pm, 8โ10 armed thugs, led by notorious local terror Rohan Khan Russell alias “Kala Russell”โa self-proclaimed leader of a teenage gang operating in Adaborโburst into the factory on Road No. 12. Workers, who had just finished their shifts and collected wages, were targeted for robbery.
When they resisted and retreated inside, the attackers followed, slashing Mohammad Tofayel, 28, and Hafiz Ahmed, 44, so severely that both required emergency admission to the National Orthopedic Hospital. The assault was pure intimidation: pay up or bleed.
Outraged factory workers encircled Adabor Police Station at midnight, staging a sit-in and chanting slogans demanding justice and the immediate arrest of the culprits. Police eventually launched an operation, detaining five suspects: Rohan Khan Russell, 30, Maruf, 35, Hasan, 23, Md. Rayhan, 22, and Md. Roman, 24. They were produced in court on Sunday and remanded to jail.
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Factory owner Mostafizur Rahman, who also serves as general secretary of the Adabor Embroidery Factory Owners Association, filed an attempted murder case at Adabor Police Station, naming eight known accused and 8โ10 unidentified others. In the remand application, police described Russell as a feared gang boss who has terrorised Sunibir Housing Society, Shyamoli Housing Phase II, and Balur Math areas.
Locals said that Adabor unit BNP leaders are providing shelter and patronage to his group, enabling their reign of fear.
Locals and police sources confirm that Russell’s gang has dramatically escalated its activities since the regime change in August 2024. Street muggings, phone snatches, and extortion demands have become routine, with factory workers especially vulnerable. Just last Friday, the same gang robbed two workers of three mobile phones. On Saturday night, when workers fought back in a rare show of unity, the attackers responded with lethal violence.
Mostafizur Rahman told reporters he is fed up with the relentless harassment: “Since August 5, 2024, Kala Russell has been demanding extortion from my factory. When refused, he targets workers for cash and phones. Last night was the breaking pointโworkers chased them away, so they hacked two in revenge.”
Additional Deputy Commissioner (Mohammadpur Zone) Jewel Rana admitted the resurgence: “For six months, police pressure kept these gangs quiet. But with political changes and Eid approaching, they’re rearing their heads again. A massive crackdown is underway.”
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This brutal incident is no isolated outrageโit’s a symptom of a terrifying nationwide crime wave. From highway shakedowns and sand mafia violence in northern districts to factory raids and street muggings in the capital, extortion and armed robbery have skyrocketed under the current administration. Hardworking citizens, especially garment and small-factory workers, live in constant fear, while political protection shields many perpetrators.
The government’s failure to rein in these BNP-linked terror networks raises grave concerns: if unchecked, this rising tide of violence threatens to plunge Bangladesh into deeper lawlessness, economic paralysis, and public despair. Urgent, decisive action is needed before more lives are shattered.
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