Expatriate youth stabbed to death in Joypurhat, third in family killed in targeted attacks

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A long-standing land dispute in Joypurhat’s Akkelpur upazila turned fatal on Tuesday night when a 23-year-old Saudi expatriate was stabbed to death. Masum Mondal, who had returned to Bangladesh from Saudi Arabia about a year ago, was attacked near the Khirahati railway gate while returning home on a motorcycle.

According to local police and witnesses, the confrontation stemmed from a long-running conflict between family members over agricultural land. The suspect in custody, 58-year-old Golam Mostafa, is the victim’s uncle. Investigators state that Mostafa had allegedly occupied more land than he had originally purchased from the victim’s grandfather. The dispute intensified after Masum’s father and other relatives recently reclaimed the excess land following a formal survey.

Family members claim this incident is the latest in a series of violent attacks linked to the same property feud. Relatives alleged that the victim’s grandfather, Fazlur Rahman, and his uncle, Ratan Mondal, were also murdered in previous years—crimes for which they hold Mostafa and his associates responsible.

On Tuesday evening, as Masum was returning from Tilakpur market, he was ambushed near the railway crossing. Witnesses and family members alleged that Mostafa’s sons, Shibli and Hanif, along with their brother-in-law, Ujjwal Hossain, surrounded the victim and stabbed him repeatedly in the back and chest. Although local residents attempted to rush Masum to a hospital in Naogaon, he succumbed to his injuries while in transit.

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In the aftermath of the attack, police tracked Mostafa to the Santahar railway station and took him into custody during a late-night operation. Akkelpur Police Station officer-in-charge Shahin Reza confirmed the arrest and stated that formal murder charges are currently being processed.

As the investigation continues, the victim’s family has expressed deep anguish, lamenting that three lives have now been lost in the protracted battle over the contested land. At the police station on Wednesday, the victim’s mother, Rumi Akter, demanded the maximum penalty for those responsible for her son’s death. Authorities confirmed that a case is being filed against the alleged attackers.