Armed suspect Md Palash Ahmed, 23, who died in an exchange of fire with security forces after attempting to hijack a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, was known as Mahadi outside his village.
Mahadi hailed from Dudhghata village, under Pirojpur union of Sonargaon upazila, Narayanganj. His peers and family called him Palash.
His father Piyar Jahan, who makes ends meet as a grocery shop owner, spoke about his son on Monday: “Palash studied in Taherpur Madrasa and Sonargaon Degree College. He quit his studies before passing the HSC exam.
“On February 22, Palash demanded I give him 500 UAE Dirhams, stating that he was planning to leave Bangladesh for Dubai. I gave him the money.”
Discussing his son’s childhood, Piyar said: “Palash was an unruly child, and continued to disobey me after growing up. We were not on speaking terms. Around ten months ago, he visited home with film actress Simla. Later, I learned that they had married.
“I requested Simla to look after my son and try to fix his behavioral problems. Palash had another wife in Bogra, but he had separated from her. A case was filed against him over the matter, but he was out on bail after 20 days in prison.”
Discussing the recent turn of events, the father said: “A team from the Sonargaon police station visited my home around 1am on Monday, and searched my residence. The police left us alone after that. Palash was the youngest of my four children.
“I tried to raise him well, but he was disobedient and rebellious.”
On Sunday night, the suspect, who tried to hijack a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, was killed in an exchange of fire with security forces during a raid at the Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong.
The BG-147 flight left Dhaka at 5:05pm, and was bound for Dubai after a stopover in Chittagong. The plane was carrying 134 passengers and 14 crew members.
The crew and passengers were evacuated safely from the aircraft before the security operation was conducted against the suspect.