Cox’s Bazar accident: Pick-up van driver has no licence

The driver of the pick-up van, which on Tuesday ran over and killed five brothers in Cox's Bazar, has no driving licence but he was driving several vehicles for the last two years.

Read more

Truck tears apart family

Despite heavy fog Cox's Bazar-Chattogram highway, he had been recklessly driving the pick-up to deliver vegetables in the district town.

Khandaker Al Moin, Rab's Legal and Media wing director, told a press briefing today, after arresting Shahidul Islam Saiful from Mohammadpur area in Dhaka yesterday.

"In primary interrogation, he admitted that he was behind the wheel when the pick-up van ran them over," he said.

Earlier, The Daily Star reported that the pick-up had no updated papers.

Validities of all three important papers -- fitness clearance, route permit and tax token -- were expired around three years ago but the pick-up was still in operation.

At the briefing, the Rab director said Saiful claimed that he could not see clearly due to heavy fog. As he came close, he noticed the victims but he could not control the vehicle immediately due to high speed.

Five brothers died and two other siblings were injured as they were crossing the road in Malumghat area of Chakaria around 5:00am on Tuesday.

After the accident, Saiful contacted the pick-up van owner and informed him about the accident. He parked the pick-up van in Malumghat area and met him at Chakaria where the owner advised him to go into hiding for about a year, the Rab official said.

Moin said Saiful started operating the pickup van from the owner on a daily wage of Tk 500, one week before the accident.

The Rab official said they initially came to know that the driver had no previous acquaintance with the victim's family.

The investigation officer of the case will investigate the allegations of previous enmity, made by the victim's family, he said.