It was like any other morning on the busy Johnson Road in Old Dhaka yesterday.

Around 11:00am, rickshaws slowly made their way past the Dhaka National Medical Institute Hospital while the nearby court area buzzed with crowds.

At that moment, a sudden and thundering sound broke the routine.

Two masked gunmen emerged from the crowd, raised their pistols, and opened fire on a man standing next to a parked car.

Their target, Tariq Saif Mamun, 55, turned and ran through the hospital gate, desperately trying to get away. The gunmen chased him, firing one round after another until he collapsed near the entrance. The entire attack lasted less than three minutes, according to witnesses.

After the incident, the killers showed no urgency. They calmly tucked their pistols into their waists, turned and walked away, disappearing into the traffic.

Police later identified the victim as a top-listed criminal and one of the ringleaders of the "Emon-Mamun Gang".

Once an associate of notorious underworld figure Sanjidul Hassan Emon, Mamun had long been locked in a deadly rivalry with Emon over control of Dhaka's criminal network, said sources.

Family members said Mamun had gone to court in the morning to attend a hearing in a 29-year-old murder case and was on his way home in Aftabnagar when he was killed.

Shahinur Alam Shahin, bench assistant of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-2, confirmed that Mamun did appear in court.

"The judge took the bench around 10:30am. After one case, Mamun's name was called. He stood in the dock and marked attendance, but no witnesses appeared. The next hearing was set for February 4 next year," he said, adding that Mamun left the court around 10:45am.

The shooting sparked panic across the hospital area. Patients, attendants, and passersby ran for cover, while others stood frozen, watching a scene that felt more like a crime thriller than real life.

Police later sealed off the area and collected CCTV footage. "It was a planned hit: swift, calculated, and professional," said an officer involved in the investigation.

Lalbagh Division Deputy Commissioner Mallik Ahsan Uddin Sami confirmed that Mamun was a top-listed criminal. "We're analysing CCTV footage and trying to identify the killers."

CCTV FOOTAGE, WITNESS ACCOUNTS

The entire attack was captured on nearby CCTV cameras. One video shows Mamun sprinting through the hospital gate, with two men chasing and firing continuously.

Within seconds, they closed in and shot him from point-blank range.

Another mobile phone video shows Mamun lying face-down between two buildings inside the hospital compound. One sandal had come off, and his sunglasses lay beside his head.

A man was heard shouting, "Call the doctor, hurry!" while another said in panic, "Only two men came and fired!". Moments later, Mamun was placed on a stretcher and rushed to the emergency department -- just a few steps from where he fell.

A hospital source said doctors found no pulse when Mamun was brought in. He was then sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where doctors declared him dead around 11:45am.

Md Faruk, in charge of the DMCH police outpost, said the victim's body was sent to the morgue for autopsy.

Arafat Hossain, a witness, said, "I was near the hospital gate when I saw a man running. Two men jumped off a motorcycle and started firing. The first shot was fired into the air, followed by six or seven more rounds aimed at the victim. He fell almost instantly."

Another witness added, "There were police on the road and guards at the hospital gate -- yet no one moved. Everyone just ran for cover."

Nasir Uddin, inspector (investigation) of Kotwali Police Station, however, claimed that the police rushed in just after learning about the incident.

SECOND ATTEMPT

This was not the first murder attempt on Mamun.

On September 19, 2023, Mamun was returning to his Tollabagh home from a bar in Moghbazar. When the car he was travelling in reached the BG Press area, seven to eight criminals on motorbikes intercepted the vehicle.

Mamun got out of the vehicle amid the hail of bullets and ran, but the criminals chased him down and stabbed him in the neck and back.

During that attack, stray bullets hit a passerby, Bhuban Chandra Shil, 55, a lawyer, who later died from his injuries.

After that attack, Mamun's family said Emon had called and threatened Mamun's life. Police then said the attackers were loyal to the top-listed criminal Emon.

Police officials now suspect the same criminal group may be behind this latest attack.

Mamun's brother, Akram Hossain Sumon, told The Daily Star that the two were once allies. "Mamun got into Dhaka College in 1990. Around the same time, Emon was a student of Dhaka City College. They formed the Emon-Mamun Gang [a criminal network] in 1992."

Sumon also said Mamun had 10-12 cases against him and that he served 24 years in prison, from 1999 to 2023, for many of these cases.

"The relationship between Mamun and Emon deteriorated in jail, and the two became arch-nemesis."

Speaking to the media at DMCH yesterday, the victim's wife, Dipa, said, "No one other than Emon could have done this. A few days ago, Emon had hired people to attack Mamun."

She said Mamun had a garment business in Mirpur, and the couple lived in Aftabnagar with their two daughters. "Mamun left home around 9:00am to attend the court hearing. Shortly afterward, I received a phone call informing me of his death."

No arrests were made till the filing of this report around 9:00pm last night.