Youth sets house on fiar over mother’s denial of drug money

A son has been accused of setting fire to his house after not getting money from his mother for drug use in Kotalipara upazila of Gopalganj. The helpless mother's last possessions were instantly consumed in the fire.

The incident took place in Hiron village of the upazila on Wednesday morning.

According to local sources, Shahidul Islam, son of the deceased Shah Alam Sheikh of Dakshin Hiron village, has been a drug addict for a long time. On the night of the incident, he demanded money from his mother Henayara Begum for drug use. When she refused to pay, he threw his mother out of the house in the morning and set the house on fire before fleeing.

Eyewitnesses said that even after the fire broke out, the entire house was burnt down by then.

Local resident Ismail Hossain said that Shahidul often misbehaved with his mother for drug money and vandalized houses at various times.

The victim, Henyara Begum, said that her son had been a drug addict for a long time and regularly pressured her for money. If she did not give him money, he would beat her. She often ran away out of fear. On the night of the incident, she was thrown out of the house and set on fire after not receiving the money.

She also said that her elder son had gone to India for work and had been missing for about 10 years. Her husband died in a road accident six months ago. Currently, she is distraught over such activities of her younger son.

In this regard, the officer-in-charge of Kotalipara Police Station, Md. Riyad Mahmud, said that no written complaint has been received in this incident yet. Legal action will be taken if a complaint is received.