Siddique Hossain was returning to his Khilgaon house from work on a Rider taxi that also sat the gangsters posing as passengers.

The gang stabbed him, snatched his revolver and pushed him down from the vehicle at about 10pm.

On-duty policemen found an injured Siddique near the Kawla Bridge and rushed him to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH). Police, quoting doctors, said his condition was critical.

Duty officer at Badda Police Station said they busted a Rider along with the driver.

Meantime, three persons including an industrialist were injured in separate incidents at Dhanmondi and Mohammadpur yesterday.

Mohammad Shajahan, owner of Reliance Tannery at Hazaribagh and Esarunnesa Memorial Hospital in Badda, was attacked while getting in his car in front of his Dhanmondi house at around 10:00am.

"I saw three youths standing 40 yards away," said Shajahan at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). "They suddenly opened fire on me as I was about to step into my car."

One bullet hit his right hand and five others slammed onto his car.

His relatives linked the attack to extortionists who recently demanded Tk 50,000 from him.

TWO SHOT OVER TENDER

At Mohammadpur, managers of two business firms were shot allegedly by up to eight contractors over tender bidding.

Selim, manager of the 'Projukti Binimoy', received two bullets in the abdomen and Mostafizur Rahman, manager of the Evan Enterprise, five bullets in the right arm when the two went to Desa office at Jikatola to inquire about a Tk 5 lakh tender at 12:30pm.

They said the attackers were putting pressure on them to withdraw their tender bids they submitted on November 24.