Published : 27 Sep 2026, 12:14 PM
Updated : 27 Sep 2026, 12:14 PM
Content creator Salman Mohammad Muqtadir’s BrownFish studio has been vandalised and looted in an attack on a housing project in Dhaka’s ECB Chattar area.
The attack took place around 10:30pm on Saturday at the New Gini Properties housing project.
Police say the studio itself was not the target of the attack, which they believe stemmed from a dispute over the property.
Mohammad Nazmul Haque, assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Cantonment Zone, said one side in the dispute went to the property late at night to take possession of it.
“There was a dispute over the property and one side went there around midnight to take possession of it,” he told bdnews24.com.
“The studio, which was operating from a rented tin-roofed structure there, was vandalised at the time.”
Two people were inside BrownFish when the attack began.
One of them said around 100 to 150 people arrived and began hacking at the studio’s shutters before forcing their way inside.
“They got inside very quickly and started smashing everything,” he said.
“They took everything they could and destroyed whatever they couldn’t take.”
The two hid in a washroom, but the employee said members of the group eventually found them.
“They had large machetes and guns. They told us to hand over whatever we had,” he said.
“They took our phones and wallets — whatever we had. They took everything.”
Salman arrived at the studio after the attack and said equipment and other materials belonging to 30 to 40 clients had been kept there, making the scale of the losses potentially significant.
“At first I thought it was something against me personally, but then I saw that they had attacked the entire project,” he said.
“So I’m sure whatever happened was related to the project.”
New Gini Properties is developing the housing project on around five bighas of land in South Manikdi near ECB Chattar.
Company Director Saiful Islam Bhuiyan alleged that they had faced extortion, threats and attempts to seize the property for some time.
He claimed around 250 to 300 armed people arrived around 10:30pm and fired 40 to 50 rounds before breaking through the gate.
“They broke down the gate after opening fire. They looted everything, including the hard drives. There was money and there were phones,” Saiful said.
He alleged that property worth around Tk 10 million was looted from New Gini Properties.
People at the project also alleged that the group fired indiscriminately, damaged CCTV cameras and other installations and assaulted several people.
One of them said the attackers opened fire before entering the property and taking belongings from inside.
“They took all the money we had,” he said. “Some of our people were stabbed and others were hit on the head.”
Salman described what happened as more than vandalism, calling it “robbery, extortion” and “destruction”.
He said he was fortunate to be in a position to recover from the loss, but questioned how many others would be able to do the same.
“I’ve always worked on my own strength and I’ll keep doing the same thing. This cannot break me,” he said.
“But what worries me is how many people will be able to move forward with the kind of resolve I have?”
Salman also criticised the state of law and order and made pointed remarks about Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed.
He said he had no personal anger towards the minister and had no complaint or demand to make of him.
As home minister, Salman said, Salahuddin knew what his responsibilities were, while the public could judge how well he was carrying them out.
Assistant Commissioner Nazmul said on Sunday morning that police were taking legal action over the attack and looting.
“We have arrested several people. A case is being processed,” he said.
