Dhaka teenager killed in assault following verbal dispute with neighbor
An 18-year-old factory worker was killed Monday evening in the Rayerbag area of Dhaka following a violent altercation triggered by a trivial dispute. The victim, Rifat Mridha, who worked at a local carton manufacturing plant, was assaulted near his home at Khanbari Mor in the Jatrabari neighborhood.
According to Rifat’s father, Hasem Mridha, the confrontation began when a neighbor named Shakil approached Rifat while he was sitting on the street and accused him of planning to consume narcotics. When Rifat denied the accusation, Shakil reportedly began verbally abusing and physically attacking him.
Although the initial confrontation appeared to subside, Shakil returned shortly after and launched a second, more severe assault, repeatedly punching and kicking Rifat until he lost consciousness. The assailant fled the scene before family members could intervene.
Rifat’s father and brother, Riaz, rushed the unconscious youth to a local hospital. As his condition deteriorated, he was transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) by 9 p.m., where attending physicians declared him dead.
Inspector Md. Faruq, in charge of the police outpost at the hospital, confirmed the fatality and stated that the Jatrabari Police Station has been notified of the incident. Rifat’s body has been placed in the hospital morgue for an autopsy.
Family members of the deceased reported that following the attack, Shakil and his family members locked their home and fled the area. Rifat, the fifth of six siblings, was originally from Chanpura village in Patuakhali’s Dashmina upazila and resided in the Rayerbag area with his parents.
