Cop killed in mob attack

An angry mob killed a policeman after a man being chased by two cops drowned in a pond in Sonargaon upazila of Narayanganj yesterday.

The dead are constable Arifur Rahman of Sonargaon Police Station and Abdul Matin, a suspected drug peddler.

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Police said Arif along with another cop went to Raisdia area in the upazila around 5:00pm to raid Matin's house. Seeing him run away to escape arrest, the cops chased him.

At one stage, the alleged drug peddler jumped into a pond and drowned. Locals soon gathered by the pond and pelted Arif with brickbats, leaving him dead, claimed SM Manzur Quader, officer-in-charge of the police station.

Matin's daughter Sheuli Akhter said ASI Fakhrul Islam and Arif of the police station reached near their house by a motorbike in the afternoon when her father was bringing fodder in a bag to feed their cattle.

The two cops in plainclothes intercepted Matin and wanted to check the bag. Suddenly they started chasing him saying that the bag contained drug.  

Sheuli alleged as her father jumped into the pond, constable Arif also got in there and beat him up.

Locals pulled Matin out of the pond and took him to the upazila health complex where doctors declared him dead. His body was taken to his house. Police later went to Matin's house and took away his body.

Matin's family members said he used to run a betel leaf shop near the bridge of Panam City in Sonargaon.

According to local ward counsellor Zaida Akhter Moni, the man owned a betel leaf shop and his wife rears cattle at home.

Law enforcers recovered Arif's body from the pond.