3 held over lynching theft suspect singing

A group of youth beat a young man named Shahadat Hossain with a steel pipe to death and they were singing the song 'Madhu Hoi Hoi Anre Bish Hawaila' while lynching Shahadat. They also filmed their horrific act which later went viral on social media.

Police have arrested three individuals connected to the murder, and the motive has been revealed.

Shahadat was beaten to death after being accused of stealing a mobile phone. The attackers were members of a WhatsApp group called 'Chattogram Chhatra-Janata Traffic Group.' Following a post in the group, members gathered to participate in the attack.

According to the police, the admin of the group, Farhad Ahmed Chowdhury, also known as Jewel, 42, has been arrested. A video of Shahadat being detained and beaten was shared in the WhatsApp group, with a call for members to join in the assault. 

The post alleged that Shahadat was a mobile thief, inciting the group's members to come and beat him. Several group members responded, arriving in stages to brutally attack him.

Chattogram Metropolitan Police Additional Deputy Commissioner (Public Relations) Kazi Md Tarek Aziz detailed the gruesome episode at a press briefing at the Dampara Police Lines media centre on Wednesday. Also present was Panchlaish Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Solaiman.

The two other suspects arrested in connection with the murder are Md Salman, 16, and Anisur Rahman Ifat, 19. Ifat is a student at an educational institution in Chandgaon.

ADC Kazi Md Tarek Aziz explained that Farhad Jewel, who ran a brick and sand supply business in the area, formed the WhatsApp group after August 5. The group has over a hundred members, and Jewel was allegedly using the group to engage in various illegal activities. 

While some members involved in the brick and sand supply business were affiliated with the ruling party of the fallen regime, Jewel had no political connections, according to Aziz.

A 20-second video of the incident, showing Shahadat tied to a pole and being beaten, went viral last Saturday. In the video, Shahadat is seen wearing a blue t-shirt and jeans, swaying as his hands are bound to a steel pipe. A group of young men surrounds him, singing 'Madhu Hoi Hoi Anre Bish Hawaila' in the regional Chattogram dialect. Some youths are seen holding sticks. The police later recovered Shahadat’s body. The assault took place under the Akhtaruzzaman flyover at Sholashahar 2nd Gate on August 14. After the killing, Shahadat’s body was left near a private hospital at Prabartak intersection in Chattogram.

The day after the murder, Shahadat’s father, Mohammad Harun, filed a murder case at Panchlaish Police Station, accusing unknown persons. Shahadat, a resident of Mia Jan Bhuiyan village in Noakhali’s Sonaimuri, lived with his pregnant wife in Boiler Colony, Chattogram.

Police confirmed that Sagar, the friend Shahadat had gone to meet on August 13 to collect money, was not involved in the murder. 

The investigation has revealed that around 20 people participated in the killing. The three arrested suspects have admitted to their involvement and provided details of the murder. Police are continuing their efforts to arrest the remaining individuals involved.