New Delhi/Dhaka: At least five houses of a Hindu family were set on fire in Dumritala village in the Muslim-dominated nation's Pirojpur district, in what is suspected to be a targeted attack on minorities.

The incident occurred on Sunday, over a week after 29-year-old garment worker Dipu Chandra Das was attacked by a mob, lynched, and his body set on fire over blasphemy allegations in Mymensingh on December 18.

According to local authorities, the exact cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed. Reports claimed attackers allegedly stuffed cloth into one of the rooms and set it ablaze, causing the fire to spread rapidly through the house.

When asked about the fire, the victim Saha family refused to come on record and just said they don't know how the fire started and the police are investigating the cause. The family members said that they were initially trapped inside, as the doors had been locked from outside when they woke up to fire in the early hours.

All eight members of the two affected families managed to escape by cutting through tin sheets and bamboo fencing. However, their houses and belongings were completely charred to ashes, along with their pets, who were killed. The place where the incident took place is about 240 km from the capital, Dhaka.

Mohammad Manzur Ahmed Siddiqui, Superintendent of Police, Pirojpur, visited the scene of a fire and assured the complainants that the incident would be investigated promptly. Local police have arrested five suspects, while efforts are ongoing to nab the remaining accused as the investigation continues. A video of the incident also went viral on social media, showing locals trying to douse the fire as massive flames spread through multiple houses.