Schoolboy beaten to death over iPhone theft allegation

A student of class VIII was allegedly beaten and strangled to death in the hostel of an educational institution in Ramganj of Lakshmipur, over an allegation of iPhone theft. The incident sparked widespread tension in the area. The angry mob vandalized and set fire to the educational institution. Additional police were deployed to bring the situation under control and the institution was declared closed for seven days.

The deceased student is Mehedi Hasan, 14. He was a student of class VIII of Farid Ahmed Bhuiyan Academy in Ramganj upazila. His home is in Raghavpur village in Sonapur Bazar area. Police said that an investigation is underway to uncover the real cause of the incident and efforts are ongoing to arrest the accused.

According to educational institution sources, an iPhone belonging to a student of the college unit was lost on June 14. A theft charge has been filed against Mehedi Hasan in this incident. It is alleged that on Tuesday evening, some senior students called him to a room in the hostel. There, he was beaten up to extract a confession of stealing a mobile phone. At one stage, he was seriously injured and died.

Md. Ismail Hossain, a resident teacher of the hostel, claimed that in order to hide the real cause of death, the accused later tied a muffler around Mehedi's neck and hung him from the window grill. At that time, he said, most of the students were busy playing in the field or praying.

Upon learning of the incident, the teachers rescued Mehedi and took him to the Chatkhil Upazila Health Complex. The doctor on duty there declared him dead.

Immediately after the incident, some students identified as the accused fled the hostel. Police said that it is not possible to say for sure whether the death was due to beating or not until the autopsy report is received. The body has been sent to the morgue of Noakhali General Hospital.

Meanwhile, when the news of the student's death spread, the entire area became tense at night. Hundreds of parents and local residents gathered in front of the educational institution. Later, the angry crowd entered the campus and vandalized and set several vehicles on fire. The institution claimed that several crores of taka were damaged in the incident.

Ramganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Kazi Atiqur Rahman said that the administration reached the spot quickly after receiving the information, but it took time to bring the situation under control due to the large number of angry people. Later, additional police from the district headquarters came late at night and normalized the situation.

Considering the situation, the educational institution has been declared closed for seven days, the UNO said.

On Wednesday afternoon, relatives and locals protested in front of the Ramganj police station with Mehedi's body after the autopsy. They demanded immediate arrest of those involved and exemplary punishment. The protest programme ended after the police assured them of ensuring a fair investigation and trial.

Jewel Rana, the uncle of the deceased student, said that his nephew was brutally murdered on the pretext of stealing a mobile phone. He demanded the maximum punishment for those involved in the incident.

Ramganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Firoz Uddin Chowdhury said that the investigation into the incident is underway. The police are working to identify and arrest the accused. A clearer idea about the real cause of death will be available after receiving the autopsy report.