Elderly railway cleaner dies after ‘assault and robbery’

An elderly railway cleaner died while undergoing treatment, nearly three days after she was reportedly assaulted and robbed at Methikanda Railway Station in Narsingdi's Raipura upazila.

Bobi Begum, 70, affectionately known as "Bubi" by locals, died around 1:15am on Wednesday in an ambulance while being transferred from Raipura Upazila Health Complex to Narsingdi Sadar Hospital, said Raipura Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Masud Rana.

The administration filed a case over the incident on July 5. No arrests had been made as of yesterday, and police are investigating the case, the UNO said.

According to local sources, Bobi had been living at Methikanda Railway Station for around 25 years after arriving there by train from Ashuganj in Brahmanbaria. She earned a living by cleaning the station platform and toilets and had reportedly saved around Tk 40,000.

Around 2:00am on Sunday, several assailants allegedly entered her room, demanded the money and beat her before reportedly fleeing with her savings.

Locals rescued the critically injured woman and took her to hospital. The incident drew widespread attention on social media, prompting support for her treatment from the administration and various organisations.

"Her condition worsened during the night, and she was first taken to Raipura Upazila Health Complex. She died in the ambulance while being transferred to Narsingdi Sadar Hospital," UNO Md Masud Rana said.