A man accused in the murder case of a local political leader was hacked to death in Comilla after being detained and assaulted by local residents in the Manikkandi area of Titas Upazila, police said.

The deceased, Md Abdul Latif Bhuiyan, 45, was a resident of Manikkandi village and an accused in the murder case of Md Jahirul Islam Molla, vice-president of Bhitikandi Union Jubo League. The incident occurred at about 9:30pm on Monday in Manikkandi village.

According to police and local sources, Latif Bhuiyan sustained severe injuries after being attacked by local people. He was initially taken to Titas Upazila Health Complex for treatment. As his condition deteriorated following primary treatment, he was transferred under police guard to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition.

Police said he died at around 1:45am while being taken to the hospital.

His body has been kept at the morgue of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College for a post-mortem examination. Law enforcement officers also recovered a foreign-made pistol and two rounds of ammunition from his possession.

The officer-in-charge of Titas Police Station, Mohammad Monirul Haque, confirmed the incident.

Local sources said the background to the violence dates back to 6 December 2022, when Jahirul Haque Molla, a resident of Manikkandi village, was killed in connection with a dispute over control of a fisheries project and political rivalry in the area. Latif Bhuiyan was later named as an accused in that murder case.

After spending five months in prison, Latif was released on bail, according to local residents.

They alleged that after returning on bail, Latif attempted to shoot Jahangir Alam Molla, the son of Fazlu Molla and a cousin of the slain Jubo League leader Jahirul Islam Molla, under the cover of darkness with the intention of killing him. Locals reportedly chased and detained him as he attempted to flee.

Witnesses said he was then beaten and hacked, leaving him critically injured before police arrived at the scene.

Police later rescued the injured man and arranged his transfer first to Titas Upazila Health Complex and subsequently to Dhaka Medical College Hospital under police protection.

Incident Summary