Boy tortured over flimsy allegation

Chained to a tree, a 17-year-old boy was tortured for around 14 hours for allegedly stealing a mobile phone in Shibchar upazila of Madaripur.

Police rescued Mehedi Hasan, of a Shariatpur village, around 5:00pm yesterday and sent him to Shibchar Upazila Complex.

There were injury marks all over his body and his knees were swollen, said Dilip Kumar Das, the civil surgeon of Madaripur.

The alleged torturer -- Kamrul Hossain Bepari -- was detained, said Zakir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Shibchar Police Station.

Kamrul, of Rahamali Bepari Kandi village, is the younger brother of Shibchar Upazila Parishad Vice-chairman Delwar Hossain Bepari, said locals, adding that their family is known to be quite influential in the area.

Mehedi, who works for a local cable operator, was beaten up at Kamrul's house, said police.

Police said Mehedi had worked at Kamrul's house on the eve of the Eid-ul-Azha. Kamrul was suspecting him to be the thief after two mobile phones went missing from the house that day.

The boy was asked to go to that house on Saturday. The moment he went there, he was tied to a tree and tortured.

OC Zakir last night said a case was being filed.

Meanwhile, Mehedi's family says the boy was innocent and demanded that the torturer be punished immediately.