A 17-year-old boy who was allegedly driving the car that struck and killed construction worker Mehedi Hasan, 24, while he was sitting on a footpath in the capital’s Baridhara area has been sent to a juvenile development centre.
Following a petition by the investigating officer, Dhaka Juvenile Court-8 Judge Md Abdul Muktadir ordered the teenager to be sent to Tongi Juvenile Development Centre in Gazipur on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the teenager’s lawyer, Alamgir Hossain, said a Tk9 lakh settlement had been reached in the case filed over Mehedi’s death.
Speaking to reporters outside the juvenile court, Alamgir said Tk1 lakh was provided for burial expenses and Tk8 lakh for the future needs of Mehedi’s elderly parents.
Mehedi’s brother and case plaintiff, Moktadir Islam, confirmed that a settlement had been reached but declined to disclose the amount.
“A settlement regarding the case has been made. I do not know the amount; my uncle knows,” he said.
The accident
The accident occurred around 5pm on Tuesday on the footpath of Road No 1 in Baridhara Diplomatic Zone.
A speeding private car allegedly lost control and ran over Mehedi while he was sitting on the footpath to rest.
He was taken to Kurmitola General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Bystanders detained Ajan, who was in the driver’s seat, and handed him over to police. After questioning, however, he was released into his uncle’s custody that night.
Moktadir filed a case at Gulshan police station on Wednesday.
The case initially named Akash Marak as the accused driver, while the teenager who was allegedly behind the wheel was not named.
Following public criticism over the omission, Gulshan police arrested the teenager on Wednesday.
On Thursday, investigating officer SI Arefin Islam of Gulshan police station produced him before the juvenile court and sought an order to send him to a juvenile development centre.
Asked about the settlement, SI Arefin said he was unaware of the matter.
Asked whether the settlement would affect the investigation, he said: “No, we will continue the investigation in our own way.”