Shops closed at Kamrangirchar
A 42-year old businessman was found dead at his business establishment at Pakapul Bazaar in Kamrangirchar, in the capital city, on Saturday morning. His wife and 12 –year old survive him.
The mysterious death of construction material trader Abul Kashem of Ashrafabad in Kamrangirchar sparked strong protests among the businessman in the neighbourhood.
All shops remained closed and the local businessmen staged a demonstration demanding arrest of the killers.
Family members said that a group of extortionists in the neighbourhood had been demanding Tk five lakh from him.
They said that his refusal to comply with the demand of the extortionists could be the reason for his death.
Neighbours said that the extortionists demanded the money from Kashem saying that his rival had paid them Tk two lakh for killing him.
They said that he had a dispute with his brother-in-law Nagar over the ownership of a plot of land owned by his late father Mod Ishaq Mollah and it might have led to his death.
Kashem’s father also died in the hands of his cousins in 1998, the family members said.
His wife Shahnaz told reporters that the group of extortionists led by Hanif and Anwar had threatened Kashem with dire consequences unless he paid the money.
She said that Kashem remained traceless since about 9 PM on Friday, when he was called out of his residence over mobile phone.
The family members said that they could find him nowhere though they looked for him at all possible places he could go.
They said that at about 7 AM on Saturday, Hanif, a member of the group of local extortionists told neighbours that Kashem was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his shop, Lucky Traders.
The police rushed to the spot, as soon as they got the information, recovered his body and sent it to Mitford Hospital morgue for autopsy.
Assistant Sub-Inspector Shafiq of Kamrangirchar police station said, ‘Kashem’s body bore several marks of injury and both his hands were tied behind his back.,’
He said that preliminary investigation indicated that he was strangled and then his body was hanged from the ceiling.
The officer-in-charge of Kamrangirchar police station, Shafiqul Islam, said that he suspected that killing could take place due to previous enmity or family feud.
