A gang mixed a sedative into an auto-rickshaw driver’s food to knock him unconscious and steal his vehicle in Nilphamari’s Syedpur. The driver was found unconscious in front of Chowdhury Tower in the town around 10 p.m. Friday (Sept. 4) and admitted to hospital.
The victim was identified as Shahidul Islam, 50, a resident of the Palashbari area in Dinajpur’s Chirirbandar upazila and son of the late Tasir Uddin.
Shahidul Islam’s wife, Noor Jahan, said her husband left home with his auto-rickshaw as usual in the morning and never returned. “On Saturday morning, I learned he was admitted to Syedpur 100-Bed Hospital, and a drugging gang had taken his auto-rickshaw,” she said.
Over the past 10 days, five people in Syedpur town have lost their auto-rickshaws — their sole source of income — to such gangs. Vans, mobile phones and handbags have also been snatched in broad daylight. In addition, two young men were seriously injured with sharp weapons in a teenage gang attack and are fighting for their lives.
Amid the string of crimes, concerned residents say law and order in Syedpur has deteriorated, while police have remained indifferent, allowing the situation to grow increasingly chaotic through their negligence. They called for urgent intervention from higher authorities, warning that the overall situation could otherwise take a serious turn.