Younger brother 'beaten to death' over Tk 5 dispute

A young expatriate man has died following an alleged assault by his elder brother in Ramganj upazila of Lakshmipur district.

The incident occurred on Saturday night in the Uttar Badarpur area under Karpara Union.

The deceased, 35-year-old Alamgir Hossain, was a resident of the same locality. He had been working in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for a long time and had recently returned to Bangladesh on leave.

According to his wife, Sabina Yasmin, Alamgir and his elder brother, Khorshed Alam, jointly used an electricity meter at their family home. They regularly shared the cost of the electricity bill.

This month, however, Khorshed alleged that Alamgir had paid Tk 5 less than his due share. The matter escalated into an argument between the two brothers at a local tea stall on Saturday evening.

At one stage, Khorshed and several of his associates allegedly assaulted Alamgir. Family members later took him in a critical condition to the upazila health complex, where physicians declared him dead.

When contacted, the officer-in-charge of Ramganj police station, Firoj Uddin Chowdhury, told Prothom Alo, “Khorshed and Alamgir initially argued at home over the electricity bill. Later, when the two brothers went to a shop, they became involved in a scuffle there. Eyewitnesses brought the situation under control. Khorshed then left the scene, but Alamgir remained seated at the shop. Five minutes later, he suddenly collapsed from where he was sitting. People rescued him and took him to hospital, where physicians declared him dead.”

He added, “The family has not yet filed any written complaint regarding the incident. However, we are investigating the matter. We have sent the body for post-mortem examination. We will know further details after receiving the report.”