Police officer injured in clashes following courier van theft dispute in Keraniganj
Photo Collected
Tensions erupted into violence in the Keraniganj area of Dhaka on Monday night, when a dispute over a stolen courier van escalated into a physical confrontation between employees of Steadfast Courier Service and local police. The clash left several officers injured, including the officer-in-charge (OC) of the Keraniganj Model Police Station, Ruhul Quddus, who were subsequently treated at a local hospital.
The unrest began following the reported theft of a covered van on Sunday from the Ghatarchar area. The vehicle was later recovered near the Mohammadpur embankment. Suspicion fell on the van’s driver, Shah Alam Mridha, whom company officials allegedly detained and assaulted on Monday morning. Following news of the alleged abuse, hundreds of fellow drivers gathered on Monday afternoon to protest, creating a volatile standoff at the courier service’s office in the Millenium City area.
বিজ্ঞাপন
According to statements from the drivers, the beating of Mridha was unjustified. The driver’s wife, Moyna Akter, alleged that company representatives used pliers to pull out her husband’s toenails and subjected him to severe physical torture, including attempts to force-feed him battery acid. Drivers participating in the protest questioned the security of the vehicles, suggesting that management may have been involved in the theft given that duplicate keys are held by the company. They have demanded legal action against those responsible for the assault.
In response, the deputy general manager of Steadfast Courier Service, Kajol Suprior, denied the accusations of torture. He claimed that the company had been targeted by extortionists for several days and alleged that the drivers’ protest was a cover for an attack on the firm’s property. He asserted that the demonstrators damaged approximately 50 company vehicles and maintained that management’s questioning of the driver was a legitimate response to the theft.
বিজ্ঞাপন
As the situation deteriorated, police arrived at the scene to restore order. OC Ruhul Quddus reported that the crowd turned on the officers, launching a coordinated attack during the intervention. To de-escalate the violence and protect themselves, officers fired warning shots into the air, eventually regaining control of the scene with the arrival of reinforcements. While no formal complaints have been filed by either party regarding the theft or the assault on the driver, authorities confirmed that the police department is preparing to file a case against the individuals responsible for assaulting the law enforcement personnel.
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