Trackback URL
Download PDF Muggers yesterday stabbed a trader to death, wounded his companion and reportedly snatched Tk 3 lakh from them at East Aganagar of South Keraniganj in Dhaka.
Protesting this killing, a few thousand business establishments at East Aganagar and its adjoining areas in South Keraniganj remained closed all day yesterday.
A gang of four to five muggers stabbed wholesale garment shop owner Helal Sheikh, 42, and his neighbour Jamal Hossain, 38, near Zila Parishad Market in Keraniganj around 5:30am yesterday. The muggers also took away Helal’s gold ring and a cellphone.
The two were returning home from a business trip in Chuadanga.
Helal, proprietor of Al-Helal Garments at Zila Parishad Market, sustained two stabs in his chest and died on the spot while Jamal sustained a stab wound in his right
thigh. He is being treated at a hospital.
Jamal told reporters at the hospital that after the muggers attacked them and tried to snatch Helal’s handbag containing the money, he screamed for help. “Then the muggers stabbed Helal. They also stabbed me as I was trying to save Helal,” Jamal said.
Jamal managed to run away. Half an hour later police went to the spot and took Helal’s body to Mitford Hospital morgue for autopsy.
Quoting Helal’s wife Rehana Begum, businessmen told reporters that before boarding a bus in Chuadanga Helal told his wife over phone that he is coming home with Tk 3 lakh.
Traders, in protest at the killing, kept closed their shops and factories that manufacture garment for the local market. They, however, did not stage any demonstrations as police requested them not to. They would be open for business today.
They, however, gave police a seven-day ultimatum to arrest Helal’s killers; otherwise they would launch various protest programmes.
Businessmen alleged that muggings and extortions marked a sharp rise during the last couple of months due to insufficient police patrol in the area. They alleged that local criminals demand tolls from them threatening them of dire consequences.
“Many of us silently give them toll rather than informing the police,” said a businessman wishing not to be named.
“We have already started work to identify and arrest the killers,” Noor Ahmed, assistant superintendent of police (Keraniganj Circle), told The Daily Star.
Asked about the rise of mugging and extortion incidents, he said they did not have any such complaints from the businessmen. “If a small incident of mugging takes place, businessmen do not inform us,” he said, adding that if they receive complaints, they will have more patrols in the areas.
Comments are not moderated and only expresses personal views of visitors. BangladeshNews.com.bd is not responsible for commets posted by visitors.
Leave a Reply