The criminals in a surprise attack shot Haji Monir Hussain Monu, 35, from behind around 4:00pm in front of his residence in Shahlibagh while he was talking to the cooks employed for the feast. He received bullets in his hand, head and leg. Monir was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where duty doctors declared him dead.

The criminals fled on two motorcycles, which were parked nearby, eyewitnesses to the incident said.

Salim, the bystander rickshaw-puller, was hit by a stray bullet in the left leg during the attack.

"I saw a group of youths firing on Monir who immediately fell to the ground while one bullet hit my leg," Sailm said.

Family members of Monir suspect Shahdat, one of the most wanted criminals of Dhaka city, to be behind the murder as he had been threatening Monir for toll money for the last few weeks.

"Shahdat's men threatened Monir over cellphone demanding Tk 3 lakh as toll last week," claimed Monir's brother Iqbal Hossain Tito, AL general secretary of ward-12. Political rivals may also be behind the murder, Monir's family members said.

Police picked up one Jahanara Begum from the area for interrogation. Jahanara, according to the eyewitnesses, helped the criminals locate Monir when he was standing in front of his house.

Monir Hossain, a businessman by profession, belonged to a pro-AL family. All his eight brothers are involved with the party. The family observes the death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by arranging feast for destitute people at their residence every year.