Anwar Hossain (32), a mentally disabled man, died at Khulna Medical College Hospital on Thursday morning after being tied to a tree and brutally beaten over suspected theft in Narail Sadar Upazila.
Ajay Kumar Kundu, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Narail Sadar Police Station, confirmed the death. Anwar was the son of the late Kawsar Molya from Banshgram in the upazila.
According to family members, Anwar left home on the morning of June 24 and did not return. The following morning, they found him severely injured at Narail District Hospital.
The case file states that a group of individuals from the Gobra Malopara area—including Prosenjit, Sourav, Apurba, Akash, and Hridoy Biswas—detained Anwar, accusing him of theft. They tied him to a tree and beat him overnight. Police, alerted by a local Union Parishad (UP) member, rescued the critically injured man and admitted him to Narail District Hospital. He was later transferred to Khulna Medical College Hospital as his condition deteriorated.
Following an autopsy in Khulna, Anwar's body will be taken to Banshgram for a funeral and burial in the family graveyard.
The accused have been absconding since the incident. However, the mother of the prime accused, Prosenjit Biswas, claimed Anwar was tampering with a van. She stated her son shouted for help, drawing a crowd, but denied knowing who carried out the assault. She further claimed her son helped admit Anwar to the hospital.
OC Ajay Kumar Kundu stated that the initial case filed over the assault will now be upgraded to a murder charge. Police operations are ongoing to arrest the fleeing suspects.
