A 40-year-old grocery shopkeeper was brutally killed in Rajshahi in the early hours of Sunday following a minor altercation over providing change for currency. The victim, identified as Abdul Bari, son of Badrul Sarkar, was targeted in a violent midnight assault at Bakir Mor under the Rajputana (Rajpara) police station area.

The fatal incident originated on Saturday evening when a group of youths from the nearby Chandipur area gathered near Bakir Mor, allegedly to consume narcotics. The individuals approached Bari at his grocery store requesting small-denomination notes. When Bari stated that he was unable to break the higher-denomination note, an argument broke out between him and the group. The verbal confrontation quickly escalated into a physical scuffle before local residents intervened to separate the parties.

What appeared to be a settled dispute took a deadly turn at around 1:45 am. A mob of roughly 50 to 55 individuals armed with sharp weapons and petrol bombs converged on Bakir Mor. Targetting Bari’s residence and attached grocery business, the attackers forcibly broke open the metal shutter of the shop before hurling a petrol bomb inside, igniting a fiery blaze.

Disturbed by the noise and the flames, Bari and his family members rushed outside to protect their property. The armed assailants immediately surrounded Bari and inflicted multiple severe stab wounds using local sharp weapons. The attackers fled the scene shortly before neighbours gathered to assist the family.

Bari was rushed in critical condition to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH), where attending doctors pronounced him dead upon arrival.

Local law enforcement officers visited the crime scene overnight to gather forensic evidence and assess the damage. Officer-in-Charge of Rajpara Police Station, Abul Kalam Azad, confirmed that the body remains at the RMCH mortuary pending a formal post-mortem examination, after which it will be handed over to the family for final rites. Police are currently filing a murder case and conducting raids across neighboring residential pockets to identify and apprehend the suspects involved in the coordinated attack.