Furniture trader stabbed by extortionists dies in Jatrabari

A metal furniture trader was stabbed to death for refusing to pay extortion money in Dhaka's Jatrabari area last night.

The victim was identified as Babul Hossain (32), a resident of Shaheed Faruk Sarani area in Jatrabari.

The incident happened when the victim, along with his assistant Kamal Hossain, was returning home from Kazla area on a rickshaw around 9:00pm.

Local miscreant Ratan and his men intercepted them on their way. They dragged Babul down from the rickshaw and stabbed him in the back, leaving him critically injured, victim's brother-in-law Shafiqul Islam told The Daily Star.

As the criminals were fleeing, Kamal chased down Ratan who was later handed over to police, he added. 

Babul was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital but after treatment, he was taken home. As his condition deteriorated, the family members took him to the hospital again where doctors declared him dead around 3:00am today.   

Shafiqul said Ratan and his men are local drug peddlers and extortionists, and they used to extort money from Babul on a regular basis from his shop that was shut down recently due to the pandemic.

Babul, who now manufactures steel furniture on contract, recently refused to give any money to them. For this, they killed him, Shafiqul said. 

Sohel Rana, sub-inspector of Jatrabari Police Station, said they are trying to identify others, and are interrogating Ratan.

The body was sent to the hospital morgue for autopsy.