Muggers hacked an official of a private firm and snatched Tk 40 lakh from him in South Chortha area of Comilla city yesterday afternoon.

Mainuddin Razib, 34, accounts officer of Max Infrastructure Ltd, an engineering firm, was carrying salary of its staff from Shahjalal Islami Bank's Comilla Branch to the office by an official microbus, said Anowar Hossain, an engineer of the company.

A gang of three people riding on a motorbike halted the microbus when it reached the area, he said.

One of the gang members fired blank shots from a pistol and the others hacked Mainuddin before snatching the bag containing the money from the vehicle, he added.

During the incident, Mainuddin and microbus driver Billal Khan, 25, were in the vehicle, he further said.

With chest and hand injuries, Mainuddin was undergoing treatment at Comilla Medical College Hospital.

The company's Security Officer Atiqur Rahman filed a general diary with Kotwali Model Police Station.

Police detained Billal for interrogation.

Monzur Alam, officer-in-charge of the Detective Branch of police in Comilla, said, a special team of the detectives is investigating the incident.