Published : 12 Jul 2025, 06:11 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 01:30 PM
Police have arrested four men over the public killing of a scrap trader outside Mitford Hospital in Old Dhaka, an incident that has sparked widespread outrage and horror after video footage circulated online.
The BNP has expelled five members of its three affiliated wings over the incident.
On Wednesday afternoon, Md Sohag, alias Lal Chand, was attacked outside Gate No. 3 of Mitford Hospital. The attackers crushed his head and body with a concrete boulder, killing him on the spot.
According to police and locals, those involved in the killing had previously worked with Sohag, and the attack appears to be the result of an escalating business dispute.
Law-enforcing agencies have arrested four people: Mahmudul Hasan Mohin and Tarek Rahman Robin by a joint task force, and two others by RAB. A Dhaka court has granted police five days to question Mohin and Robin.
A local electronics trader said Sohag controlled a major syndicate in the used cable trade in the Mitford area. Mohin and his associates were allegedly attempting to take control of this network.
“They locked up Sohag’s warehouse, which led to multiple meetings and confrontations,” the trader said, adding that those involved had ties to the BNP youth wing, Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, as did Sohag in the past.
Among the 19 accused in the police case, two are Jubo Dal leaders at the central and metropolitan levels. Two others are members of the BNP's student wing Chhatra Dal, while another is a member of the party's volunteer wing Swechhhasebak Dal.
BNP central committee member Salahuddin Ahmed announced the expulsion of all five members on Friday through a media statement.
Mofizul Islam, deputy commissioner of DMP’s Lalbagh Division, said: “Many people are asking me why this happened. I still don’t have an answer.”
According to a DMP statement, Sohag’s elder sister filed a murder case with Kotwali police. Investigators collected CCTV footage from the area and launched raids, leading to the arrest of Mohin, 41, and Robin, 22.
Police say they recovered a foreign pistol from Robin during his arrest.
The DMP statement said the incident was a result of business rivalry and previous animosity. Investigations are under way to identify the exact motive and track down the remaining suspects.
