Five murdered in separate incidents in four districts

Five persons were murdered in separate incidents in Pabna, Barishal and Laxmipur districts and Bhaluka Upazila of Mymensingh District in three days.

PABNA: Miscreants allegedly shot dead Pushpapara Market leaseholder Abdus Salam, 57, and his nephew Ripon Hossain, 35, in a dispute over control of the market around 7 pm on Thursday at the leaseholder’s office in Pabna Sadar Upazila.

Abdus Salam was the son of Arj Ali from Pushpapara Village under Ataikula Police Station (PS) in the upazila, and Ripon was the son of Omed Ali, a local member (ward representative) from the same village.

According to police and eyewitnesses, a group of 5-to-7 armed miscreants entered the office and shot at Abdus Salam. When Ripon resisted, he was also shot. Both men collapsed onto the floor. After the assailants fled, locals rushed them to Pabna General Hospital, where the attending physicians declared them dead.

Officer-in-Charge (Investigation) of Ataikula PS confirmed the incident and said that the bodies have been sent to the Hospital morgue for autopsies.

BARISHAL: A fisherman was shot dead while fishing in the Meghna River during a 22-day ban on catching mother hilsa, with eyewitnesses and relatives alleging that river police opened fire. However, river police in Barishal and Chandpur and the Coast Guard denied conducting any operation in the area.

Relatives said shotgun pellets struck the face and chest of Akter Howlader, 40, son of Sultan Howlader of Char Memania Village in Hizla Upazila, around 4 am on Thursday near Orakul Ghat.

Fellow fisherman Abdul Bepari said river police fired indiscriminately at their boat and Akter fell at the scene. 

Akter was taken to Hizla Upazila Health Complex around 8:30 am but died on the way to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barishal around 9 am, relative Hazrat Ali said.

Hizla Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Elias Sikder said the incident was under investigation. 

Local authorities said they could not establish which agency was responsible. Akter’s family has yet to file a case.

LAXMIPUR: Police have detained two men over the shooting death of Khorshed Alam, 50, in the district on Wednesday, allegedly following a dispute over the soil trade.

Alam was called from his home and shot dead in Dilshadpur Village in the district’s Parbatinagar Union around noon, police said. The suspects were identified as Ibrahim Chhuttu and Masud Rana, detained in an immediate police operation.

Additional Superintendent of Police Hossain Mohammad Raihan Kazemi said a group of men, allegedly led by a local soil trader named Walid, opened fire on Alam. Legal proceedings against the two detainees are underway.

Alam’s wife, Akhlima Akter, and daughter, Prema Akter, alleged that Walid had previously threatened him over the soil business. They said two men called Alam out of the house shortly before the shooting.

Police said Alam was a soil trader and had faced several cases, including murder, firearms and drug-related charges.

BHALUKA, MYMENSINGH: A 43-year-old salon owner was stabbed to death on Tuesday evening in Bhaluka Upazila of the district, allegedly by a local resident following a dispute over unpaid money and extortion.

The victim, Rabendra Rishi, operated a barbershop in the Jamirdia area, and was originally from the Dhobaura Upazila of Mymensingh. The suspect is Saddam Hossain, son of Babul Mia of the same area.

According to the victim’s wife, Suchitra, the suspect frequently extorted money from her husband for buying drug and regularly refused to pay for haircuts. She said that tensions had escalated recently after her husband refused to give him money or provide further unpaid services.

Eyewitnesses said that Rabendra was repeatedly stabbed in the shop of the suspect’s father, resulting in his death.
Md Zahidul Islam, OC of Bhaluka Model PS, said police promptly responded to the scene, recovered the body, and initiated legal proceedings.