A 16-year-old Hindu boy was killed after being struck by a vehicle on a highway in Bangladesh’s Feni district while attempting to stop robbers who had allegedly attacked him and tried to seize his autorickshaw, according to local media reports.
The incident took place on Sunday evening in the Lalpol area along the Dhaka–Chittagong highway.
The victim, identified as Shanto Kumar Saha, had reportedly been waiting in his autorickshaw near the Miyaji filling station in Lalpol while handling a passenger’s belongings. According to the Bengali news outlet Jagonews24, unidentified assailants approached him about half an hour later, assaulted him, and attempted to rob the vehicle.
Citing relatives and eyewitnesses, the report said the attackers beat Shanto and threw him down near a culvert beside the highway during the robbery attempt. When he managed to get up and pursue them, the assailants allegedly pushed him onto the road. He was then struck by a passing vehicle and died at the scene.
Confirming the incident, Feni Additional Superintendent of Police Nishat Tabassum said authorities recovered the body shortly after receiving information about the incident.
“Upon receiving information, the police recovered the body from the scene and sent it to the Feni General Hospital mortuary,” Tabassum said.
Family members said they began searching for Shanto after they were unable to reach him later that evening.
“In the evening, when his family members could not contact him, they started searching for him. Later, after receiving information from a familiar auto-rickshaw driver, we went to the spot and found Shanto’s body. If we observe the CCTV footage from the area where he had picked up the passengers, it will be possible to identify the kidnappers,” Jagonews24 quoted Shanto’s cousin Nipul Das as saying.
Another relative, Nipa Rani Das, said she had seen Shanto shortly before the incident, just before the evening Iftar period.
“I met Shanto in front of the Miyaji filling station just before Iftar. When I asked him to take me home, he said he had a passenger to pick up. At that time, there were a few sacks in his autorickshaw. I also saw a person standing next to him. I think they targeted Shanto, taking advantage of the quiet atmosphere during Iftar, and hijacked the autorickshaw,” she said.
The incident has drawn attention amid concerns over attacks affecting minority communities in Bangladesh. Reports indicate that violence targeting Hindu communities has continued in recent years, including during the previous interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus.
Authorities are expected to review CCTV footage from the area as part of the investigation to identify those responsible.
(With IANS inputs)
