Two men fired multiple rounds at the gate of a house belonging to a Bangladeshi living abroad in Chattogram's Muradpur last night, a day after he received a Tk 50 lakh extortion demand, police said.

The incident took place around 10:30pm. No one was injured.

Police said an unidentified caller had sent Mohammad Shawkat a voice message from a foreign number, demanding Tk 50 lakh.

“Around 10:30pm on Monday, two men aged between 25 and 30 came to the ground floor of the building and asked the security guard about the owner. They then fired two rounds at the gate and walked away through a nearby lane,” said Hasan Mostafa Swapan, deputy commissioner of the North Zone of Chattogram Metropolitan Police.

There was no electricity in the area at the time and the CCTV camera at the building’s main gate was out of order, he said.

Judging by the bullets, they appeared to have been fired from a pistol, the police official further said.

The attack has triggered panic in the area, amid concerns over the activities of a gang led by fugitive criminal Sazzad Ali, alias Boro Sazzad.

In the two-minute voice message, the caller claimed that Boro Sazzad knew details about Shawkat’s family and properties. He demanded Tk 50 lakh and threatened to harm Shawkat’s father, brothers and children if the money was not paid within 24 hours.

The caller also warned that the demand would rise to Tk 1 crore if the group had to “send the boys” to carry out an attack.

Attempts to contact Shawkat were unsuccessful as his phone was switched off. He and his family members were also not found in the building.

When asked about the possible involvement of the Boro Sazzad group, DC Hasan Mostafa said the threat was similar to previous threats made by the gang.

“The modus operandi is similar. The messages were sent from what appeared to be a foreign number. However, we want to verify the matter further. We are investigating the incident,” he said.

“We have asked them to file a case.”

The incident comes despite the arrest of Mobarak Hossain Emon, alias David Emon, second-in-command of the Boro Sazzad gang. Police arrested Emon on July 30 while he was allegedly attempting to flee to India.

On July 13, the office of DDN, an internet service provider, was attacked and vandalised in the Bakalia Access Road area. Before the attack, Emon had allegedly demanded Tk 1 crore as a one-time payment and Tk 10 lakh a month in extortion from the company’s owner.

After Emon’s arrest, Chattogram District Police Superintendent Masud Alam said many members of the gang remained at large.

Police said one of its key members, Raihan Alam, is still at large, while several other alleged shooters, including Borhan, remain out of reach.

According to police, the Boro Sazzad group has at least 50 trained shooters. Trained shooters have also been involved in criminal activities in Hathazari, Raozan and different parts of the port city, police said.

However, they have not been able to determine how many trained shooters are currently active among criminal groups in the city and district.

Earlier, on January 2 and February 28, armed men attacked the residence of Mujibur Rahman, owner of Chattogram-based Smart Group, in Chandangaura, demanding Tk 10 crore in extortion.

Police said the Boro Sazzad gang was involved in those attacks.