'Drunk driving' claims one life in capital

A man who was allegedly drunk ran a Mercedes sedan over a rickshaw puller leaving him dead in the capital's Dhanmondi Thursday night.

The incident happened when the victim, Razab Ali, 50, was having a cup of tea near Dhanmondi Kidney and General Hospital on Road 7 around 8:30pm.

Kazi Saddam Shahnewaz Prince, 26, ran him over with a silver sedan and tried to run away from the scene, but locals caught him and beat him up, said Abdulla Hil Kafi, assistant commissioner (Dhanmondi) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

People present at the scene took the victim to Life Care Hospital where he died soon afterwards.

They also vandalised the C-Class and found some empty and unopened cans of beers in the car, said Abdul Latif, officer-in-charge of Dhanmondi Police Station.

Police detained Prince after the incident and took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for primary treatment and a stomach-wash. Doctors told police that they found "primary evidence" of drinking beer.

Son of a businessman, Prince lives in Baitul Aman Housing Society and looks after his father's business, police said, adding that he was sent to jail by a Dhaka court yesterday.

On October 12, 2015, Fareez Rahman, an allegedly drunk teen and a former Awami League lawmaker's nephew, lost control of a sports utility vehicle (SUV) and rammed into two rickshaws, leaving four people injured in the capital's Gulshan.