Schoolboy hacked to death by drug peddlers in Noakhali

A tenth-grade schoolboy was killed and four others were injured in an attack by drug peddlers in the Senbagh upazila of Noakhali on Wednesday night (June 10).

The deceased was identified as 15-year-old Arafat Hossain Fahim, a student of Poura Hajipur High School. Fahim, the son of Shahjahan from Hajipur village in the neighboring Begumganj upazila, had been visiting his maternal grandparents' home when the tragedy occurred.

The incident took place around 9:30pm at the Anju Miazi house in Debisinghpur village under Nabipur union on Wednesday. According to victims' relatives and local sources, a local named Harun and his associates had long been using the courtyard and access roads of Fahim’s grandparents' house to conduct their illegal drug trade. Earlier, family members spotted Harun and his group consuming drugs near the house and chased them away on Wednesday evening.

In retaliation, Harun, along with cohorts Momin and Jahangir, led a sudden, armed ambush on the Anju Miazi residence later that night. As the residents attempted to resist the attackers, a chaotic clash ensued in the dark. Fahim, along with locals Shakib and Rifat, and the attacker Harun himself, sustained severe stab and hack wounds during the violence.

The injured were rushed to the 250-bed Noakhali General Hospital, where the attending doctor declared Fahim dead upon arrival.

Upon receiving the news, a police team led by the Officer-in-Charge of Senbagh Police Station rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. Police sub-inspector Shimul confirmed the schoolboy's death based on local accounts and stated that law enforcement managed to arrest the injured suspect, Harun, from the scene. Operations are underway to apprehend the remaining attackers.