Now extortion by detaining corpse

26 October 2009, 17:00 PM

Our Correspondent, Nilphamari

Criminals tried to extort money by detaining for over 24 hours the body of an elderly woman who was killed in a road accident in Dimla upazila under Nilphamari district on Friday morning. Tarabanu, 65, wife of late Amanullah of Chhoto Khata village of Dimla upazila, died in an accident with a motorbike on Sutibari-Dalia Road in Dimla upazila on Friday morning and locals detained the motorcycle owner Golap of the same village, sources said. Requested by the locals, the motorbike rider promised to give Tk 30 thousand as compensation to the family of the victim, also a fellow villager. Hearing the news of the accident caused by a 'rich' motorbike owner, a gang from Dimla upazila town rushed to the spot and with the help of local accomplices took the body under their control, said Khalisha Chapani union parishad Chairman Ataur Rahman. They demanded Tk one lakh more as compensation and threatened to file a case for murder (by intentional accident) against the motorbike owner in case of failure. As the motorbike owner remained firm on his promise to give Tk 30 thousand to the victim's family and declined to give so-called compensation to any other people, the heartless criminals continued to hold up the body for over 24 hours till Saturday morning. Locals repeatedly urged them for handing over the body to relatives for burial but it failed to change the mind of extortionists. By the time the body started decomposing. Finding no other way, the accident victim's eldest son Nuruzzaman along with his four brothers and six sisters went to Dimla Police Station and lodged a written complaint against the criminals. Sensing arrival of police, the criminals fled away. Seeing the miserable condition of the body, sons and daughters of the deceased burst into tears, creating a pathetic sight on the spot. The body was buried after the Zohar prayers on Saturday.