Mob violence claims another life

A man was beaten to death by a mob on suspicion of cattle theft in Magura's Sadar upazila today.

The victim, identified as Akidul Islam, 45, a resident of Kanchanpur village, was allegedly held by locals around 4:00 am at Maland village and beaten over theft suspicion, said police.

On information, police rushed to the scene, rescued Akidul, and took him to Magura 250-bed Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared him dead, said Ashiqur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Magura Sadar Police Station.

Sumaiya Afrin, a doctor at the hospital's emergency unit, said the man was brought to the hospital dead around 9:00am.

"Multiple injuries were found on different parts of his body. His head was shaved, and his legs were severely injured with visible bleeding," the doctor told The Daily Star.

The victim's wife, Ajifa Khatun, said her husband had returned from Cyprus five months ago and had been working at a vegetable wholesale market in Dhaka. He was returning home on a bus at night.

She also said the incident occurred early in the morning when he got off the bus at Ichakhada Bazar.

Ajifa said, "My husband had phoned us and asked my son to go and receive him."

"Shortly afterwards, another call came from my husband's phone. A man told us that my husband was caught while stealing cattle. The caller demanded money to release my husband," said Ajifa.

"We tried contacting local people, but could not resolve the issue. We informed the police around 8:00am, and they rescued him an hour later and took him to hospital," she added.

The victim's son, Saimon, said that his father was killed by some villagers with whom he had prior monetary disputes.

The OC said police are investigating the incident. The body has been kept in the hospital morgue for autopsy. No case had been filed as of 6:00pm.