Tk 650 knife bought on whim, murdered a rickshaw puller on birthday night

The 16-year-old boy had bought the knife from a footpath vendor for Tk 650. He was so excited about the item he had bought that he called over friends to show it to them. A few days later, on the night of his birthday, that same knife claimed the life of a rickshaw puller.

There was no record of the teenager being involved in any crime before. Police also found no such history involving the two friends who were with him. Yet, over the course of a few hours on one night, the lives of all three teenagers became entangled in a murder case.

It all started with a birthday party. Then came his first experience of drinking alcohol, roaming around with friends late at night, a minor argument with a rickshaw puller, encouragement from another friend, a slap and finally, a single strike with the newly bought knife. This chain of events emerged from an investigation by the Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

The murder took place in the early hours of last Wednesday in the Gabtoli area of Darussalam in the capital. The Mirpur Division of DB arrested the three teenagers involved in the incident on Saturday. One of them had just turned 16, while the other two were under 15.

The incident comes at a time when concerns over crime and violence involving teenagers have resurfaced. Two widely discussed murders involving teenagers took place in Cumilla and Chattogram in the past few weeks. Drives against teen gangs are also underway in various districts.

According to police, as many as 127 teen gangs or subgroups have been identified in Dhaka alone. Police Headquarters recently issued directives to gather field-level information on teen gangs and their patrons.

But the Gabtoli incident is different as the police have so far found no link to any organised gang. The incident therefore highlights not only the issue of teen gangs but also how easily risks such as weapons, substance use, late-night hangouts and peer pressure can enter the lives of ordinary teenagers.

According to DB sources, the teenager named Saad (pseudonym) had purchased a knife from a footpath vendor for Tk 650 out of curiosity a few days earlier. Investigation sources said Saad was quite thrilled after buying the knife. He called several friends over to show it to them and carried it with him whenever he went out.

Saad turned 16 on 30 September. On the occasion of his birthday, an older acquaintance named Ruel invited him to a party. Saad told investigators that he drank alcohol for the first time in his life at that party.

After the party ended around 1:00am, Saad went to the Gabtoli area. He then called his friend Farid (pseudonym) and asked him to come out of his home. Saying that he wanted to go out at night to celebrate his birthday, Saad took him along.

The two were walking around Gabtoli when a cycle rickshaw passed by them. Initially, the two teenagers suspected the rickshaw puller of being a mugger based on his behaviour. Although they later realised that was not the case, they got into an argument with him.

At one point, the rickshaw puller left the place. The incident could have ended there but it did not.

Around 3:00am, Saad and Farid called another friend, Zahid (pseudonym) and asked him to come outside. Zahid initially did not want to go out. He eventually left home after learning that it was Saad’s birthday

The three friends sat down at a tea stall next to Allah'r Daan Hotel in Gabtoli. During their conversation, they brought up the earlier argument with the rickshaw puller.

According to investigators, after hearing what had happened, Zahid encouraged his friends to beat up the rickshaw puller if they came across him again. Shortly afterwards, the three teenagers saw the rickshaw puller again.

According to DB sources, Saad and Zahid got into another argument with him as soon as they saw him. At one point, the rickshaw puller got off the rickshaw and entered Allah’r Dan Hotel nearby. The teenagers assumed that he had gone inside the hotel to complain about them. This made them even more angry.

A short while later, when the rickshaw puller came out of the hotel, Zahid slapped him. Immediately afterwards, Saad took out the Tk 650 knife he was carrying and struck the rickshaw puller on the back of his neck.

Investigators said the entire incident took place within a short period of time.

After being stabbed, the injured rickshaw puller climbed onto his rickshaw and tried to flee the scene. But after traveling a short distance, he collapsed onto the vehicle. Moments later, he died there. The three teenagers also fled the area.

Mohammad Rakib Khan, deputy commissioner of the DB-Mirpur division, told Prothom Alo that none of the three teenagers had any prior criminal record, nor were they professional criminals. Based on investigation findings, he said they became involved in the murder driven by impulsiveness, spontaneous reaction and peer provocation.

Experts say multiple risk factors converged in the Gabtoli incident. Buying and carrying a knife out of hobby, consuming alcohol for the first time on a birthday, teenagers staying out late at night and peer provocation. A minor dispute escalated rapidly into violence and ultimately that knife was used in the murder.

Professor Fatema Rezina Iqbal of the Department of Sociology at the University of Dhaka told Prothom Alo that teenagers do not possess fully developed emotional regulation skills. As a result, in many instances they may become drawn towards crime or teenage gang culture.

Fatema Rezina Iqbal stressed the importance of parental supervision in such cases. She said parents need to keep track of when their children go out, where they go and whom they spend time with. Such ways of celebrating birthdays or occasions that bring teenagers together can increase their tendency towards crime. Such incidents are a matter of concern for society, she added.

The Detective Branch is investigating the murder case filed at Darussalam Police Station over the killing of the rickshaw puller in Gabtoli. Investigators began identifying those involved the day after the killing. By analysing CCTV footage from Allah'r Daan Hotel and surrounding areas, they identified images of the three teenagers.

Initially, detectives suspected that professional muggers might have been involved in the killing. Three suspected muggers were taken into custody and interrogated on that suspicion. However, the investigation found that none of them was involved in the killing.

Later, they were shown pictures of the suspects obtained from CCTV footage. One of them recognized Farid, as Farid used to work at a hotel in the Gabtoli area. Subsequently, Farid was first taken into DB custody from Jatrabari in Dhaka. Based on information provided by him, DB picked up Zahid from Bhola and Saad from Nabinagar in Brahmanbaria.

While investigators managed to identify the three teenagers through CCTV footage, police have yet to discover the name of the rickshaw puller whose death sparked the entire investigation. He was approximately 20 years old.

Police sources revealed that the young man had arrived in Dhaka from Pabna about a month ago. He rented a cycle-rickshaw from a garage in the Darussalam area to earn a living. However, he did not return to the garage regularly and spent some nights outside.

Even with assistance from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), the DB could not identify the deceased youth.

Darussalam police had earlier sought the public's help in identifying him. Ever since his death, his body has been lying in the morgue of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College.

Dulal Hossain, Officer-in-Charge of Darussalam Police Station, told Prothom Alo that they suspect the young man did not have a National Identity Card (NID). Once his identity is confirmed, the body will be handed over to his family.

For the man lying in the morgue, the only thing left to wait for now is the confirmation of his identity. The family of the young man, who came to Dhaka from Pabna a few weeks ago in search of a livelihood, may not yet even know that he will never return.