A 23-year-old man died on Tuesday evening after being subjected to a violent mob beating following an armed robbery using a toy pistol in Rajasthali upazila under Rangamati district. The deceased, identified as Md Rafiq, was caught by angry local residents shortly after he and an accomplice allegedly raided a residence in the Khyangdongpara area of Bangalhalia union.
According to police and local sources, the incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon when Rafiq and his associate, 24-year-old Md Akash, broke into the residence of Suhel Tripura, director of the local Ventis Mission Hostel. Finding Suhel Tripura’s wife, Hena Tripura, alone in the house, the duo brandished a toy handgun to intimidate her before ransacking an almirah. They looted BDT 200,000 in cash and three gold rings from the wardrobe. As the robbers attempted to make their getaway, Hena Tripura raised an alarm, alerting nearby neighbours.
Spurred by her cries, local residents rushed to the scene and managed to corner Rafiq, recovering two of the stolen gold rings from his possession. However, Akash succeeded in escaping with the remaining gold ring and the entire sum of stolen cash. Incensed by the crime, the assembled crowd subjected Rafiq to a severe beating around 5:00 pm, leaving him critically injured. Officers from Chandraghona Police Station arrived at the location around 6:00 pm, took custody of the injured suspect, and arranged for his urgent medical transfer.
Police rushed Rafiq to the Kaptai Upazila Health Complex, where attending physicians declared him dead upon arrival at 8:00 pm. Dr Ruihla Ong Marma, Health and Family Planning Officer at the facility, confirmed that the suspect had succumbed to his injuries prior to reaching the hospital. Chandraghona Police Station Officer-in-Charge SM Saker verified the sequence of events, stating that formal legal proceedings and a case filing are currently underway.
Law enforcement officials confirmed that the deceased was the son of Abdul Jalil, residing in the Abasik Muslim Para neighbourhood of Bangalhalia. Meanwhile, the fleeing suspect, Md Akash—son of Mohammad Ali Karim from Sufipur village—already faces an outstanding arrest warrant in connection with a separate theft case at Chandraghona Police Station. Police drives are ongoing to apprehend Akash and retrieve the looted cash and property.
