Local Residents Besiege Police Station Over Bribe Allegations

A tense situation unfolded in the Bandar area of Narayanganj on Sunday evening, 7 June, as hundreds of local residents besieged the Bandar Model Police Station. The demonstrators gathered to protest against alleged police inaction and a demand for a bribe following the tragic death of an 18-year-old youth named Mohammad Jobayer. The teenager succumbed to injuries sustained during a violent mugging incident, sparking profound public outrage and leading to a significant demonstration outside the law enforcement facility.

Background of the Fatal Incident

The victim, Mohammad Jobayer, originally from the Rajapur area of Pabna Sadar Upazila, was the son of Jahangir. Jobayer had been residing in a rented house in the Enayetnagar locality of Bandar, Narayanganj, where he was employed at a local commercial establishment. According to local sources, the targeted attack occurred on Wednesday, 3 June, at approximately 9:00 PM.

Jobayer was returning home from work when three muggers intercepted him on the northern side of the Bhanga Bridge in Enayetnagar. When the young man attempted to resist the robbery, the assailants stabbed him repeatedly across his body before fleeing the scene with his mobile phone.

Local residents rushed to the scene upon hearing the commotion and rescued the critically injured youth. He was initially transported to the 300-Bed Hospital in Khanpur, Narayanganj. However, as his clinical condition rapidly deteriorated, medical professionals transferred him to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for advanced emergency treatment. Jobayer fought for his life in the hospital for several days before succumbing to his injuries at approximately 5:30 AM on Sunday.

Allegations of Extortion and Police Apathy

The unrest intensified when the body of the deceased was brought back to the Bandar area on Sunday evening. The grief-stricken family and neighbours alleged that systemic negligence and corruption within the local police department hampered the pursuit of justice from the outset.

According to the victim’s family, Jobayer’s father had approached the Bandar Model Police Station shortly after the stabbing incident to lodge a formal case. However, the duty officers reportedly refused to record the complaint. A neighbour of the deceased, identified as Tipu, explicitly alleged that police personnel demanded a bribe of 10,000 BDT to register the case. Tipu asserted that because the family was unable or unwilling to pay the demanded illicit sum, the police explicitly declined to initiate formal legal proceedings.

Agitation and Laying Siege to the Station

The news of Jobayer’s demise, coupled with the allegations of police misconduct, caused tensions to boil over. An incensed crowd of over one hundred local residents took the youth’s body directly to the gates of the Bandar Model Police Station.

The demonstrators staged a sit-in, blocking the entrance and chanting slogans against administrative corruption. The agitated public demanded a transparent investigation into the murder, the immediate arrest of the perpetrators, and an official explanation from senior police leadership regarding the refusal to register the initial complaint.

Official Response and Administrative Action

In response to the volatile demonstration, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Bandar Model Police Station, Golam Muktar Ashraf Uddin, stepped in to pacify the crowd. Speaking to the media, the OC confirmed the public gathering and stated that administrative measures had already been initiated to address the grievances.

“The local residents came to the police station. I have assured them that proper and appropriate measures will be taken regarding this matter. They placed their trust in my words and have since left the station premises. Furthermore, we have already withdrawn the accused Sub-Inspector from duty,” OC Golam Muktar Ashraf Uddin stated.

The Officer-in-Charge, however, maintained that he had no prior official information indicating that the victim’s family had been turned away when attempting to file a case. He further revealed that law enforcement authorities had already apprehended one individual suspected of involvement in the mugging and assault.

Due to the absence of an active case file connected to Jobayer’s attack at the time of the arrest, the suspect had been forwarded to the court under a separate legal matter. The OC assured the public that once the victim’s family formally files the murder case, the detained suspect will be shown arrested in connection with the killing. Concurrently, police and intelligence drives remain underway to identify and apprehend the remaining suspects involved in the fatal mugging.