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Published : 20 Jun 2026, 03:48 PM
A Chattogram trader “attempted to take his own life” by drinking what he said was poison during a Facebook Live broadcast, accusing three local men of extorting him and driving him to desperation.
Sumon Ghosh, 48, who runs a spice shop called Swapan Ghosh and Sons in Boxirhat under Kotwali Police Station, made the live video on early Friday before being rushed to Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH).
CMCH Police Outpost Sub-Inspector Nurul Alam Ashek told bdnews24.com on Saturday that Ghosh consumed the substance due to “severe psychological trauma” over his shop lease.
He is currently stable and receiving treatment in Ward No. 14, according to doctors.
In the video, which later went viral, Ghosh named three brothers from Pitambar Shah Lane -- Shamsher Ali, Shahadat Ali and Ayub Ali -- whom he accused of posing as BNP men and demanding money from him.
When he refused, he said, they had him jailed for five months by labelling him an Awami League supporter.
Ghosh claims the trio pressured his wife during his imprisonment to sign over the shop lease.
"They told me ‘We've already collected two months' rent from your wife while you were in jail. Go away somewhere. We'll handle the rest’," he said in the video.
The trader maintained the business belongs to him, explaining his father originally rented the property from landlord Nurnahar Begum of Rahmatganj.
He has reportedly been paying rent to the legitimate owner since 1996, spanning three decades to 2026.
"I have no quarrel with anyone, no fight with anyone. Where am I supposed to go?" he said before drinking from a yellow bottle he said contained poison.
Ghosh blamed the three brothers for what he described as his suicide attempt.
Local residents said there has been a longstanding dispute involving multiple parties over ownership and tenancy rights to the shop.
Before drinking the liquid, Ghosh urged social media users to share the video widely so that Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman could see it and take action against “extortionists using the party's name”.
He also spoke about his family, saying he was worried about his wife, son and daughter, who is sitting honours examinations in Noakhali.
When contacted on Friday night, Kotwali Police chief Abu Zayed Nazmun Noor said he had only just learned of the incident and that police were looking into the matter.
Repeated calls to him on Saturday went unanswered.
Chattogram city BNP Member Secretary Md Nazimur Rahman questioned whether Ghosh had previously reported the alleged extortion attempts to police or party leaders.
"If someone demands money from another person, the first step is to seek legal remedy. There may also be disputes involving ownership of the shop or financial transactions," he said.
