Rohingya camp trader stabbed to death in Cumilla

The perpetrators made a phone call to lure him out of his in-laws' house in the district’s Debidwar Upazila

A trader at a Rohingya refugee camp has been stabbed to death by a group of assailants in Cumilla.

The incident occurred near the Bagur bus stop on the Dhaka-Chattagram highway in Debidwar Upazila around 10:30 pm on Wednesday, according to local police station chief Nayan Mia.

The victim has been identified as Md Musa Ali, 40, a resident of Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf Upazila. He used to sell shoes, fabrics and cosmetics next to a Rohingya camp.

He was married to Nazia Akter, a native of Tulagaon village in Debidwar Upazila’s Sultanpur Union.

Musa left his in-law's house after receiving a phone call from a person known to him around 8:30 pm on Wednesday. Another person made a call to Nazia using Musa’s phone around 9 pm and demanded Tk 1 million in ransom for her husband.

The family sent Tk 30,000 to a bKash number given by the abductors, Nayan said, citing the victim’s wife.

But the family members were informed about Musa’s death around 10:30 pm, he added.

Witnesses reportedly saw a group of youths fleeing the scene after stabbing Musa on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway. The critically injured Musa was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead by a doctor.

His wife Nazia said her husband had arrived in Debidwar two days prior to the incident and has called for justice, demanding the arrest and punishment of the perpetrators.

The body, which displayed multiple stab wounds, was sent to the Cumilla Medical College Hospital morgue for an autopsy on Thursday, according to OC Nayan.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the assailants were acquainted with Musa, who had been implicated in three drug-related cases.

Authorities are exploring the possibility of the murder being motivated by drug trafficking disputes or financial disagreements.