A ward-level BNP leader sustained a bullet injury on Sunday night after being attacked by alleged extortionists in Dhaka's Kalabagan area.

The incident occurred around 9:30pm in front of a shoe market opposite Bashundhara Shopping Complex in Panthapath.

The injured, Shafiqur Rahman, 55, former joint general secretary of ward 16 unit of BNP, is a shoe supplier for pavement shops in the area, said Monir Hossain, a shop owner who rushed him to hospital.

Quoting Shafiqur, Monir alleged that local extortionists had been demanding money from him for several days.

“They caught him tonight, demanded payment again, and asked why he wasn’t answering their calls. At one stage, they shot him and fled,” Monir said.

Shafiqur was first taken to a nearby hospital and later shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He sustained a bullet wound in the palm of his left hand.

Inspector Md Faruk of the DMCH police camp said Shafiqur was receiving treatment at the emergency department and was now out of danger. Kalabagan police are investigating the incident, he added.