An attack on members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) during an operation in the Jangal Salimpur area of Sitakunda, Chattogram, was reportedly carried out after announcements were made over loudspeakers. RAB officials said between 400 and 500 people took part in the assault, which occurred on Monday evening.

During the attack, a RAB officer named Motaleb Hossain Bhuiyan was killed, while at least three other members of the force were injured.

CCTV footage obtained by police shows two RAB microbuses (HiAce vehicles) entering Salimpur, followed by several individuals armed with sticks chasing the vehicles. At one point, the attackers smashed the windows of the microbuses. Audio from the footage includes loudspeaker announcements, with a voice urging people to block the area’s entrances.

Another video shows several injured RAB personnel seated inside a room, with bandages on their heads and other parts of their bodies. Blood can be seen on the floor as police officers assist in moving the injured members into vehicles.

According to A R M Mozaffar Hossain, Assistant Director (Media) of RAB-7 in Chattogram, a team of 43 RAB members went to Jangal Salimpur in Salimpur Union on Monday evening to conduct an operation aimed at arresting armed criminals. After their presence was detected, loudspeaker announcements were used to mobilize a large group of attackers, who then surrounded and assaulted the RAB team.

During the violence, four RAB members—including Nayeb Subedar Md Motaleb Hossain Bhuiyan—were critically injured. With assistance from the police, they were taken to Chattogram Combined Military Hospital (CMH), where doctors declared Motaleb Hossain dead.

The remaining injured RAB members are currently receiving treatment in hospital. Mozaffar Hossain said efforts are ongoing to determine the exact motive behind the attack and to identify and arrest those responsible.

Jangal Salimpur has long been considered a high-risk area. Over the past four decades, thousands of illegal settlements have been established there by cutting government-owned hills, and illegal land trading continues. To protect these occupations, land grabbers have reportedly formed armed groups that maintain constant surveillance and control over the area.

Due to its remote and hilly terrain, Jangal Salimpur has become a long-standing safe haven for criminal groups. Since political changes in the country on August 5 last year, clashes, shootings, and killings linked to territorial control have increased in the area. Recently, rival criminal groups exchanged gunfire over control of territory, leaving one person dead. The following day, two journalists were assaulted while attempting to report from the scene.

Access to Jangal Salimpur is tightly controlled, with residents required to carry identification cards. Outsiders—including law-enforcement officers and government officials—have repeatedly faced attacks while attempting to enter the area.

Similar incidents have occurred in the past. In September 2023, at least 20 people—including an executive magistrate and the officer-in-charge of Sitakunda Police Station—were injured when government officials were attacked while returning from an eviction drive against illegal structures. Attackers threw bricks, stones, and cocktails, prompting police to fire shots to regain control.

Earlier clashes involving RAB and police were also reported in 2022 during multiple eviction and enforcement operations in the same area.