Two murdered in two districts

Two people were murdered in separate incidents in Daulatpur Upazila of Kushtia District and Barishal District on Saturday.

DAULATPUR, KUSHTIA: A 58-year-old man was hacked to death by his elder brother following a long-standing dispute over homestead land in Daulatpur Upazila of the district on Saturday afternoon.

The victim, Ataul Malitha, son of late Rahatullah Malitha of Dangmorka Madhyapara Village in Adabaria Union, died at Kushtia Medical College Hospital on Saturday evening.

According to police and locals, an argument broke out between Ataul and his elder brother, Tofazzal Malitha, over the land dispute around 2 pm. The altercation escalated into a physical scuffle, during which Tofazzal struck Ataul in the head with a machete, leaving him critically injured.

Family members and locals rushed Ataul to the Daulatpur Upazila Health Complex. He was later transferred to Kushtia Medical College Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment.

Confirming the incident, Daulatpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Khaledur Rahman stated that police are investigating the case and efforts are underway to arrest the fugitive suspect.

BARISHAL: A 52-year-old man was allegedly beaten and hacked to death by his nephew and other relatives over a long-standing land dispute in the city on Saturday. Angry residents later set fire to the house of one of the accused, destroying the tin-roofed structure.

The victim, Kamrul Islam, was attacked around 9:30 am at the Howlader Bari in the Bottola area of Puranpara. 

Family members said a dispute erupted when his step-cousin, Anwar Hossain Howlader, attempted to build a wall on the disputed land. Anwar, his son Miraj and another relative, Suruj, allegedly beat Kamrul and struck him repeatedly with a sharp tool. Kamrul was taken to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Police detained Anwar, his wife, Khadija Begum, and their son Miraj in connection with the killing. 

Mohammad Jamal Hossain, Assistant Police Commissioner of Barishal Metropolitan Police's Kaunia zone, said they would investigate the arson and take legal action against those responsible.