Shariatpur ambulance syndicate leader remanded over newborn's death

A district court has has granted a three-day remand to Sabuj Dewan, the main accused in a case filed over the death of a newborn inside an ambulance due to obstruction by a syndicate in Shariatpur.

Shariatpur Chief Judicial Magistrate Court Judge Shakib Hossain granted the remand on Sunday.

Acting on a tip-off, the Rapid Action Battalion arrested Sabuj Dewan, 28, son of the civil surgeon's chauffeur Abu Taher, in an operation at Bera Chikundi village under Palong Union Parishad of Sadar Upazila early Sunday.

Earlier on Friday night, the newborn's father, Nur Hossain Sardar, filed a case at the Palang Model Police Station against five people, including Sabuj Dewan, his father, a civil surgeon's driver Abu Taher Dewan, Shariatpur Ambulance Malik Kalyan Samiti president Abdul Hai, and another ambulance driver Billal Hossain.

According to the case statement and police sources, Nur Hossain's wife Ruma Begum of Koneshwar area of Damudya upazila gave birth to a son on Thursday afternoon. She had been a little sick since the birth of the child.

Therefore, on the advice of the doctor, the family decided to quickly take the newborn to Dhaka that night. But when the Dhaka-bound ambulance they had hired was about to leave, Sabuj and his father Abu Taher, the owner of the local ambulance syndicate, stopped him.

They took the keys from the Dhaka-bound ambulance driver and physically assaulted him. The ambulance was held up for about 40 minutes. As a result, the newborn died there.