A notorious robber of Shikdermallik union in Pirojpur sadar upazila on Tuesday threatened to kill a local Hindu man, who played a role in building up a neighbourhood watch to protect Hindus from frequent pre-election attacks sponsored by then opposition last year.
“I will kill you if I get hold of you, because you arranged nighttime watch in the village and informed police about my activities,” said Debashish Kumar Mondal, a solvent farmer, of South Gabtola village, quoting the phone call by the robber Ashraf Ali Sheikh.
“I have not gone out of my house in fear since the robber threatened me, as he killed Majid Member and grievously hacked some other villagers last year,” he told The Daily Star yesterday.
Debashish and his brother Mrinal Kanti Mondal live in the same house along with their spouses, elderly mother, and two sons.
In the same compound, Ashraf’s aides allegedly burned down the house of Debashish’s distant grandfather Bidhan Chandra Mistri, a union-level Awami League leader and retired founding headmaster of South Gabtola High School, on December 13 last year.
Some Hindu families of the union have fled homes in the face of rape, extortion and arson by Ashraf’s gang, several victims said during an investigation by The Daily Star in December.
After the robbers intensified their activities during the election violence late last year, police and local Hindus decided on night vigilance by the villagers themselves.
“This action enraged Ashraf, who thought it was me who organised the watch,” said Debashish, who instantly informed police of the incident.
SM Akhtaruzzaman, superintendent of police (SP) in Pirojpur, told The Daily Star, “We are occupied with upazila elections and will look into the incident after the polls.”
Intelligence officials are tracking him through the phone number, he said, adding that they could not arrest the robber, as “he always changes his whereabouts”.