A man was allegedly beaten to death by locals on suspicion of cattle theft at Ishakhada Bazar in Magura Sadar on Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Md Akidul, 40, who had returned from Cyprus five months ago.
Police said locals chased and caught Akidul while he was allegedly fleeing after stealing a cow from Maland village under Atharokhada Union and subjected him to a mob beating. Police later rescued him and took him to Magura 250-bed General Hospital around 9am, where doctors declared him dead.
However, Akidul’s family claimed the killing was premeditated. His wife, Ajifa Khatun, said Akidul had lived abroad for a long time and returned to the country from Cyprus just five months ago. He was currently working at a vegetable wholesale market in Dhaka. On Tuesday night he left Dhaka to return home. Around 4:00 am, he got down at Ishakhada Bazar and called his son to come there.
Ajifa Khatun alleged, “A man named Monirul called from my husband’s phone, claiming that Akidul had stolen a cow. He demanded Tk 200,000 for his release. When we couldn’t pay, Monirul, Liaqat, and several others tied him to a jackfruit tree in the western part of Ishakhada and beat him to death.”
Magura Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Ashikur Rahman said, “While allegedly fleeing after stealing a cow from Maland village in Atharokhada Union, locals chased and caught him, subjecting him to a mob beating. Acting on the information, police rescued him and took him to the hospital.”
Doctors said the body bore multiple injury marks, including a broken leg and signs of excessive bleeding. Police recovered a cow and said an investigation is underway.