Boy tortured to death in city

A teenage boy has been allegedly tortured to death by a local leader of a student body in the city’s Hazaribagh area on Monday over the theft of a cellphone. The victim was identified as Raja, 16, son of Babul Hossain of 46 Ganaktuli, Hazaribagh, a news agency confirmed. Police, meanwhile, detained three people in connection with the murder. Ratna, a paternal aunt of the victim, told reporters at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) that Arju, a student body leader, picked up Raja from his house and took him to his residence in the morning alleging that the teenage boy stole his mobile phone set. Arju along with his accomplices reportedly beat Raja mercilessly at his house, leaving the boy injured seriously. The perpetrators dropped the teenage boy to his house after providing him with first aid at a local clinic, Ratna added. As Raja’s condition sharply deteriorated, his family members took him to the DMCH as his. However, doctors at the hospital pronounced him dead around 5pm. There were marks of torture all over Raja’s body, hospital doctors said. Contacted, officer-in-charge of Hazaribagh Police Station Mainul Islam said, “The place of occurrence is the home of Arju, a former president of Hazaribagh thana unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL).” He said police already detained three people for interrogation in this connection. However, their identities could not be known yet. Arju could not be reached for comments despite repeated attempts over mobile phone.
- mbz