Detectives have arrested two more suspects including the suspected mastermind in connection with the attack on Professor Md Asadur Rahman of the Department of ENT and Head-Neck Surgery at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

The arrestees are Sani Saha, 38, and Fatin Ishrak Labib, 20.

DMP Additional Commissioner (DB) Md Shafiqul Islam disclosed the information at a press conference on Sunday.

They were arrested from Shonir Akhra in Jatrabari and Nikunja area in Khilkhet respectively on Saturday night, he said.

The suspects had planned to intimidate doctors and extort a large amount of money from them.

He said Professor Asadur Rahman was returning home after seeing patients at Popular Diagnostic Centre at around 10:30pm on August 17.

At around 10:45pm, when he was getting into a CNG-run auto-rickshaw, several people including Jibon alias Adil intercepted him. When the professor asked why they had stopped him, the attackers dragged him out of the auto-rickshaw and started beating him.

At one stage, Jibon alias Adil struck him in the right eye. The others hit him on his head, above both eyes and different parts of his body. They also threatened and intimidated him, the DB chief said.

People present at the scene informed police and Paltan Model Police Station personnel quickly went there and detained Jibon alias Adil while the others fled.

Professor Asadur Rahman later received treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and filed a case with Paltan Model Police Station against Jibon alias Adil and several unidentified people.

According to the case statement, the professor had received a call from an unknown number several days before the incident demanding $15,000 in ransom.

Shafiqul Islam said DB launched an investigation and surveillance to identify the other people involved in the attack.

During interrogation, Sani reportedly told DB that he had worked as a project manager at an interior design company in Singapore on a work-permit visa from 2022 to 2025.

In 2023, he became acquainted with a person named Jannat Alamgir Hossain who allegedly offered him a way to earn money through money laundering.

Sani said he later invested 5 crore taka in the business at different times and suffered losses.

According to DB, after returning to Bangladesh in August 2024, Sani met Jannat Alamgir Hossain in Bashundhara Residential Area.

He was then assigned to collect personal information of affluent people including their home addresses, vehicle numbers, professions, movements and financial details, Sani said.

DB said the information was also used in planning to threaten Professor A K M Aminul Haque and Professor Md Asadur Rahman with death and extort large amounts of money from them.

Sani later assigned Fatin Ishrak Labib to recruit people to carry out the attack, according to DB.

During interrogation, Labib reportedly said he came to know Sani about two and a half months before the incident through food delivery. They later met in person in the North South University area.

Labib then proposed recruiting Abu Bakar, 18, Ratul, 19, Iban, 22, Jibon, 21, and Sabbir, 18, to attack Professor Asadur Rahman in exchange for 1 lakh taka, DB officials said.

Separate cases under the Arms Act have been filed against Sani Saha and Fatin Ishrak Labib with Vatara Police Station, DB police said.