A 43-year-old barber was stabbed to death in Valuka upazila, Mymensingh, on Tuesday evening following an altercation over an unpaid haircut bill. The victim, Rabindra Rishi, was attacked near the Noman Composite Muktijoddha Market in the Jamirdia area around dusk.
The accused assailant has been identified as 22-year-old Saddam Hossain, a resident of Jamirdia and son of Babul Miah. Rabindra, originally from Uttarpara in Dhobaura upazila, was residing as a tenant in the Torif Munshi Mor area of Jamirdia, where he operated a local barber shop to support his family.
Witnesses and local sources recounted a terrifying series of events that unfolded on Tuesday evening. Saddam entered the barber shop and confronted Rabindra before drawing a knife and striking him. In a desperate attempt to escape, the wounded barber ran to a nearby shop belonging to the suspect’s father. However, the assailant pursued him and renewed the attack. Rabindra then fled towards the courtyard of an adjacent house, where he was pinned down and repeatedly stabbed. He succumbed to severe blood loss at the scene before medical assistance could arrive.
Family members revealed that the fatal dispute stemmed from escalating tensions between the two men. According to the victim’s wife, Suchitra, Saddam frequently demanded money to fund a drug habit and regularly left the salon without paying for haircuts. Tensions escalated recently when Rabindra refused to extend further credit or provide services to Saddam, prompting the suspect to issue death threats.
Relatives also pointed to an earlier conflict that may have motivated the murder. Approximately three months ago, local elders convened a informal dispute resolution meeting, or salish, after Saddam was accused of harassing Rabindra’s daughter. The victim’s family believes resentment from that proceeding, combined with the recent financial dispute, led directly to the attack.
Saddam fled the scene immediately after the killing. Police officers from Valuka Model Police Station arrived shortly afterwards to recover the body, which was subsequently sent to the Mymensingh Medical College Hospital morgue for an autopsy.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Zahidul Islam confirmed that police have launched drives to apprehend the suspect and retrieve the murder weapon. Formal legal proceedings are currently underway.
