Suspected thief lynched in Khulna

A suspected thief has been beaten to death by an angry mob in Khulna’s Rupsa upazila.

The incident took place in Amdabad Beel area at Noihati union in the early hours of yesterday, police said.

The deceased was identified as Ajgar Sheikh, 40, a father of three, of Fakirhat upazila.

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However, his nephew Alauddin claimed that Ajgar was a day labourer and never involved in such crimes in the past.

Quoting locals, Rupsha police station Sub-Inspector (SI) Tipu Sardar said three people, including Ajgar, went to steal fish from a fish enclosure on Amdabad Beel around 4am.

The security guards and locals managed to catch Ajgar, but the other two fled. Ajgar was left with critical injuries following a mob beating. 

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On information, police rescued him and sent him to Rupsha Upazila Health Complex, where he died while undergoing treatment, SI Tipu added.

Locals alleged that a group of thieves have been using pesticides to kill and steal fish from the Amdabad Beel fish enclosure for a while.

Bangladesh has recently seen a rise in mob lynching across the country. So far, at least eight people were killed in such violent incidents.

On July 24, Inspector General of Police Md Javed Patwary said around 103 people were arrested under 31 cases filed centring the incidents.