250 villagers sued after 3 suspected cattle thieves lynched

Police have filed a case against 200 to 250 unidentified villagers following the lynching of three men suspected of cattle theft at Kaliakair upazila of Gazipur.

Meanwhile, a local farm owner has filed a separate case against the deceased and several others for attempted theft.

The deceased have been identified as Krishan, 46, from Sylhet; Azharul Islam, 36, from Sreepur, Gazipur; and Md. Selim, 38, from Mirpur, Dhaka.

The incident occurred early Sunday morning  at Bagchala area of of the upazila when a group of 7�"8 men allegedly attempted to steal cattle from Abu Bakkar’s farm at Talchala village.

Alerted by the commotion, locals chased the suspects, eventually cornering three of them and their pickup truck. Hundreds of villagers gathered at the scene, beat the suspects severely before setting their vehicle on fire.

While police rescued the trio and rushed them to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital, on-duty doctors declared them dead upon arrival.

The filing of a murder case by the police has sparked widespread panic across several villages, leading many residents to flee their homes to avoid arrest.

Kaliakair Police Station officer-in-charge (OC) Shahidul Islam stated that both cases,the lynching and the attempted theft are under investigation.

Legal action will be taken against those found responsible once the probe is complete, the OC added.

TZ