Bangladesh teens beaten and fined Tk 30,000 over false identity theft claims
Two teenage boys in Kumarakhali upazila, Kushtia district, Bangladesh, were allegedly tortured and fined Tk 30,000 after being accused of identity theft. The incident, which occurred early Monday morning, has sparked outrage and a warning from local police against vigilantism.
The boys, both around 17 years old, were beaten with wooden and bamboo sticks by shop owner Abul Kalam Azad, his cousin Mizan, a man named Hasan, and others. The assault began at around 2:00am and continued until dawn. The boys sustained injuries on their backs, arms, and limbs and are currently receiving treatment at the Kumarakhali Upazila Health Complex.
A video circulating on social media shows one of the boys being struck repeatedly with a stick. Instead of reporting the alleged identity theft to the police, Azad initiated the assault and later involved Abdul Karim Biswas, president of the Jagannathpur union BNP, to arbitrate the matter. Biswas, acting as a village arbitrator, imposed a Tk 30,000 fine on the boys.
Kumarakhali police station officer-in-charge Khondokar Ziaur Rahman has warned against taking law into one's own hands, stating that such actions are illegal and will not be tolerated.
The boys, who claimed they did not steal anything, have been left with injuries and a hefty fine. The incident highlights the need for proper legal channels to be followed in cases of suspected identity theft. Police have not yet arrested any of the individuals involved in the assault, and the investigation is ongoing.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
