Agitated local people on Saturday evening blocked Barisal-Dhaka highway at Barthi area under Gournadi upazila of Barisal demanding immediate arrest of the killers of rental motorcycle driver Shahadat Ghrami.
Shahadat Hossain Gharami, 26, of Baradulari village of Gournadi upazila, was had been missing since Wednesday.
Locals said Shahadat’s neighbours Miraz Fakir and Sentu Sharif on Wednesday evening rented his motorcycle to go to Madaripur. After that he went missing.
Dead body of Shahadat was recovered from a paddy field at Shikinighata under Mustafapur union of Madaripur district on Thursday evening and his motorcycle was recovered from Mustafapur Power House field, two kilometres away from the dead body.
Police assumed that Shahadat was strangled. Moksed Gharami, father of the victim, lodged a murder case on Friday with Madaripur Police Station against Sentu Sharif, Miraz Fakir, Fazle Huq, a relative of Miraz and five others.
As police are yet arrest anyone in this connection hundreds of local people from Baradulari, Baghmara and Baurgati areas of the upazila blockaded the Barisal-Dhaka highway in Barthi area from 5pm on Saturday protesting the killing and demanding arrest of the killers.
Protest rally during the road blockade was presided over by local union parishad member Mahabub Alam Khokan and addressed, among others, by Moksed Gharami, father, Ershad Hossain, brother of the victim, Salam Howladar, Abdul Wahab Khan, Kaium Khan, Apan Khan, and Kakim Mridha.
The speakers gave a 48-hour ultimatum for arresting the killers.
Hundreds of vehicles on the busy highway created a long tailback during the road blockade.
On information Sub-inspector Solaiman Mahmud of Gournadi Police Station and Sub Inspector Saiful Islam of Gournadi highway police rushed to the spot.
After they assured locals of arresting the killers the blockade was withdrawn.