Trader killed for demanding due

A timber trader was killed allegedly by a customer as he asked dues from the latter in Birampur upazila of the district yesterday.

The deceased was Nuruzzaman Sarkar, 48, son of late Nayeemuddin Sarkar of Chandpur area in Birampur municipality.

Police arrested one Md Rafiqul Islam from Nawabganj upazila in connection with the killing.

Police and family members said Rafiqul Islam often purchased logs from Nurruzzaman, but he did not make any payment. Without paying the due amount, Rafiqul again went to Nuruzzaman a couple of days ago and demanded more logs, but Nuruzzaman refused.

Later, Rafiqul called the victim over mobile phone and asked him to come to Nawabganj upazila to receive his dues.

Nuruzzaman left for Nawabganj by his motorcycle to receive the money on Wednesday evening. As he did not return home till 8:00pm, family members called him over his phone and found it switched off.

On information, police rushed to Nawabganj and picked up Rafiqul from his home yesterday morning and interrogated him.

Based on his information, police recovered the beheaded body of Nuruzzaman from a paddy field at Magura village in Nawabganj upazila around 2:00pm and sent it to M Abdur Rahim Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.

Police also recovered the victim's motorcycle from Pirganj area in Rangpur.

It's a planned murder, said Subrata Sarker, officer-in-charge of Nawabganj Police Station.

A murder case was filed against the arrested man, said the police official.