Young Man Beaten to Death Over Child-Abduction Suspicion

A 26-year-old man was beaten to death by a group of people in Khulna after being suspected of attempting to abduct a child, according to police. The incident took place in the Rayermohol area of the city on Tuesday afternoon.

The victim, identified as Raju Shikdar, was a resident of Baliadanga in Phultala upazila of Khulna. He worked at a clothing shop in Phultala and had reportedly gone out for a day off when the incident occurred.

Police said Raju was walking with a child near the Boro Mosque in Rayermohol Bazar, within the jurisdiction of Aranghata police station, at around 5.30pm. His presence with the child reportedly raised suspicion among people in the area. Several locals then stopped him and began questioning him.

According to police, some of those present suspected that Raju was a child abductor. During the questioning, his answers apparently failed to satisfy them, and he was assaulted. As more people gathered at the scene, the beating intensified, leaving him critically injured.

Police reached the spot after receiving a call to the national emergency service number 999. Officers found Raju seriously injured and took him to Khulna Medical College Hospital for treatment. He died there at around 6.30pm while undergoing treatment.

Humayun Kabir, Assistant Commissioner of Khulna Metropolitan Police’s Sonadanga Zone, said officers were yet to establish whether the child accompanying Raju was known to him. He said many people had left the scene by the time police arrived.

Police have launched an investigation to establish exactly what happened, how the confrontation began and who was involved in the assault. Officers have also said that those responsible would face legal action once their roles in the incident are established.

Halimaur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Aranghata police station, said locals had alleged that Raju was taking a four-year-old child away, prompting them to stop and question him. When they were dissatisfied with his responses, they allegedly began beating him. He later died from his injuries.

Police subsequently recovered Raju’s body and sent it to the morgue. Two people suspected of involvement in the beating have been taken into police custody for questioning.

Raju’s father said his son worked at a clothing shop in Phultala and had gone out because Tuesday was his day off. He said the family was preparing to file a case over Raju’s death.

The incident has once again highlighted the potentially fatal consequences of acting on suspicion without verification. A person’s presence with a child, by itself, does not establish that a crime has taken place. Questions about possible child abduction require proper verification and intervention by law-enforcement authorities rather than violence by members of the public.

In this case, investigators are now tasked with determining the circumstances surrounding the confrontation, establishing whether the child was known to Raju and identifying everyone who took part in the assault. The two people already in custody are expected to be questioned as the investigation progresses.