A teenager has been killed and two others injured after being tied up and beaten on suspicion of theft in Fatikchhari, Chattogram. The incident occurred early Friday morning in the Chaingar Setu area of the Kanchannagar Union, Ward 5 of the upazila.
Fatikchhari Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge (OC) Nur Ahmed confirmed the incident, stating, “The three teens had gone to the city for a visit and were returning home late at night. The cause of the incident is under investigation, and the family has been advised to file a case. Police are conducting operations to arrest the main perpetrators.”
The deceased has been identified as Mohammad Rihan Mohin, 15, the son of local grocer Mohammad Lokman. The injured teens are Rihan’s friends, Mohammad Manik and Mohammad Rahat, both 15, who are currently receiving treatment at the hospital.
Local sources revealed that the three friends had visited Chattogram city the previous night. On their way back early in the morning, a group of seven to eight young men chased them, accusing them of being thieves.
While the trio took shelter in an under-construction building, the attackers caught them and dragged them to the bridge. There, they tied them up with ropes and brutally beat them. Rihan succumbed to his injuries on the spot, while the other two were rescued by locals and taken to the hospital.
Rihan worked at his father’s grocery shop. It is suspected that the incident may have been a result of prior personal enmity, with the “theft” accusation possibly being a setup. Police have already taken two young men into custody for questioning. The body of Rihan has been sent to Chattogram Medical College Hospital for an autopsy.
OC Nur Ahmed further stated, “As the suspects involved are from the same village, this incident appears to be linked to a previous dispute or rivalry, rather than a case of mob justice.”