Patient dies as ambulance held up by local syndicate in Shariatpur

An elderly patient has died en route to Dhaka after his ambulance was allegedly blocked twice by members of a local ambulance syndicate, authorities and family members said.

The incident took place on Tuesday (January 13) while Dhali, a resident of Kutubpur in Damudya upazila, was being transferred from Shariatpur Sadar Hospital to the National Institute of Neurosciences in Dhaka for advanced treatment.

The deceased, Jamshed Ali Dhali, 70, died around 4:00pm before reaching the hospital.

Family members claimed that after hiring an outside ambulance due to unavailability of local vehicles, a group of 8–10 men led by local ambulance owner Suman Khan stopped the vehicle twice—first at Kotapara and then at Jamtala on the Dhaka-Shariatpur highway—arguing that local ambulances should be used instead. The delays totaled over 90 minutes.

His grandson, Zobayer Hossain, said, “Because the local syndicate did not want us to take an outside ambulance, our vehicle was blocked twice. Even when we reached Dhaka, my grandfather had already passed away.”

Police said the family filed a verbal complaint initially and were asked to submit a written statement.

The accused ambulance operator, Suman Khan, denied the allegations, stating, “I only inquired about the reason; I did not stop the ambulance.”

Shah Alam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Palong Model Police Station, said, “Legal action will be taken once a written complaint is received.”