Five members of a family, including a woman, sustained burn injuries after a fire was set at a residence following a family dispute in the Shyambazar area of Sutrapur in the capital at around 4:30pm on Saturday.
The victims were subsequently admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
The injured have been identified as Siddique Bepari, 60, his son Md Imon, 26, nephew Rajib, 38, nephew Arifur Rahman Dhalu, 35, and niece Tania Akter, 20.
According to Sonia Akter, wife of victim Arifur Rahman Dhalu, the family members live in adjacent houses on their ancestral property in Shyambazar Chamakatuli. Imon is an expatriate worker in Saudi Arabia, Rajib works as a mechanic at National Hospital, Dhalu is an electrician, and Tania is an Honours student at Women’s College in Old Dhaka.
Detailing the incident, Sonia Akter said that on Friday, Imon’s sister, Sultana, had accumulated dirty water in front of the house. Tania asked her to clean it, leading to an altercation between the two. Sultana subsequently informed her brother Imon in Saudi Arabia about the dispute.
Imon returned to Bangladesh on Friday. On Saturday afternoon, he threatened the family members, saying, “I will die and I will kill you all too,” before pouring petrol on himself and splashing it onto the others. He then set fire using a matchbox, causing all of them to catch fire instantly.
Immediately following the incident, the injured were rushed to the Burn Institute.
Dr Sultan Mahmud, a resident surgeon at the Burn Institute, said five people from Sutrapur had been admitted to the hospital with burn injuries.
Of them, Siddique suffered burns to 35 per cent of his body, Emon 90 per cent, Rajib 15 per cent, Arif 8 per cent and Tania 60 per cent.
All five are in critical condition and have been admitted for treatment, he said.
