An HSC student was shot by unidentified assailants in the Manikdi area under Cantonment Police Station in the capital early Tuesday.
The injured student was identified as Md Karim, 18, a second-year HSC student at Mirpur Bangla College.
The incident occurred around 12:15 am. Karim was taken to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) in critical condition.
Karim's father, Rafiqul Islam, said he had sent his son to a nearby shop around 12:15 am to buy mosquito coils.
After buying the coils, Karim spent some time chatting with a friend, Tuhin, before heading home. As he was passing a building locally known as "32 Malik's Building" in the Amtala area, unidentified assailants allegedly opened fire from the darkness, leaving him with bullet injuries to both legs.
Local people rescued Karim and first took him to a private hospital in Kurmitola. He was later shifted to DMCH in the early hours.
Doctors performed surgery during the night and removed a bullet from his right leg. The bullet that struck his left leg had reportedly exited the body at the scene.
Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of the DMCH police outpost, said Cantonment police had been informed of the incident and were investigating the shooting.