Four muggers held up Jin, 30, and his friend Ahsanullah Hasan, 45, in a rickshaw in front of the office of Dhaka Metropolitan Police at around 11:30pm.

"The criminals shot Jin in his chest as we refused to hand over our belongings. I received a bullet in my palm after I tried to grab hold of a gun," said Hasan.

Police rushed them to Dhaka Medical College Hospital from where they were later shifted to a clinic in Uttara.

The muggers only succeeded in taking away Jin's passport. The Korean arrived in Bangladesh on June 17 on a two-month's tourist visa and was staying in his friend's house in Uttara.

Sources said Jin met with State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar seeking his help to solve a problem set in due to his overstay in Bangladesh.