Parents sued after abandoning two children on Anwara roadside, father arrested

Police have filed a case against the parents of two children who were abandoned by the roadside in Anwara, Chattogram. The accused are the children’s father Md Khorshed Alam and mother Jhinuk Akter. The case was filed on Wednesday, December 31, by Anwara Police Station Sub-Inspector Momen Kanti De.

Police said Md Khorshed Alam was arrested late Tuesday night from Banshkhali upazila. The two rescued children are currently under the supervision of the district administration.

On Sunday night, December 28, an auto-rickshaw driver rescued four-year-old Ayesha Akter and her younger brother Morshed, 14 months, from the Sholokata area of Barkhain Union in Anwara upazila, where they were found helpless by the roadside. He initially sheltered the children at his home. After being informed, police rescued them and admitted them to the upazila health complex.

Doctors said the younger child has a congenital condition, while the elder child is suffering from a skin disease. The incident sparked widespread reactions on social media, following which the district administration and the Department of Social Services took responsibility for the children.

After his arrest, Khorshed Alam told police that their home is in Mohamoni area of ward 9 under Lemua Union in Manikchhari upazila of Khagrachhari district. He claimed that due to family disputes, he had expelled his wife from the house and later lived in a rented house in Lashkarpara of Miarbazar area in Banshkhali.

He alleged that five to six months ago his wife left home with the two children, taking household items and around Tk 18,000 in cash. He also accused her of forcing their physically challenged child to beg, saying he had been fined in different places for this reason. He said the children’s maternal home is in the Maulvir Dokan area under Satkania Police Station.

Anwara Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Junayet Chowdhury said a case has been filed against both parents. The father has been arrested and will be produced before the court on Thursday. He added that the two rescued children are currently being kept in a safe shelter with the assistance of an auto-rickshaw driver.