Masked men attack Dot Internet office in Dhaka’s Lalmatia

A group of masked men attacked the office of internet service provider Dot Internet in Dhaka’s Lalmatia area yesterday -- injuring two employees and looting valuables reportedly worth over Tk 2 lakh.

The incident occurred around 8:45pm at Dot Internet’s office on the third floor of a building in Block E, Lalmatia.

“We are reviewing CCTV footage and are working to identify those involved,” Mesbah Uddin, officer-in-charge of Mohammadpur Police Station, told The Daily Star.

A case was later filed at Mohammadpur Police Station by the company’s Corporate Coordinator Officer Sagir Hossain Asif.

The case statement said around 20 to 25 masked individuals forcibly entered the office and began searching for the company’s proprietor, Pradip Dhali, and Chief Technology Officer Mithun Hawlader.

At the time, Account Manager Ibrahim Hawlader and electrician Jalal were present in the office. When they asked the intruders about the purpose of their visit, the attackers allegedly became aggressive and assaulted them.

The two employees sustained injuries and were later given primary treatment at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital.

The assailants reportedly stole a CPU, a Wi-Fi router and a mobile phone from the office. The stolen items were estimated to be worth Tk 223,500.

Before leaving the premises, the attackers also threatened staff members, according to the case statement.

Speaking to this correspondent, Sagir Hossain Asif said the attackers initially complained about not receiving phone service, although staff members were unaware of what they were referring to.

He added that they then began assaulting one of the employees and recorded the incident on a mobile phone, apparently to show it to someone on the other end of a call.

He further said he does not know why the attack was carried out.