Owner of shrimp enclosure hacked to death, 9 arrested

Owner of a shrimp enclosure was hacked to death and five members of his family were injured in an attack by their rivals in Gabura union under Shyamnagar upazila of the district on Wednesday night.

The deceased was identified as Shafiqul Islam, 40, son of Abdus Sattar Khan of Kholpatua village under the union.

Gabura Union Chairman Masudul Alam said Shafiqul had been cultivating shrimp on a land which his father bought 15 years back.

Claiming the ownership of the land, one Lokman Gazi of the same area locked in altercation with Shafiqul on Wednesday night.

At one stage, Lokman and his men hacked Shafiqul, his wife Parul Begum, and their sons Abu Raihan, Abdul Halim, Newaz Hossain and Habibullah with sharp weapons, leaving them critically injured.

The injured were rushed to Shyamnagar Upazila Health Complex. Later, Shafiqul was shifted to Khulna Medical College Hospital where he died at midnight.

Habibullah Khan, brother of the deceased, filed a case with Shyamnagar Police Station, accusing Lokman Gazi and 36 others.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) Enamul Haque of Shyamnagar Police Station said law enforcers arrested nine of the accused named Abdur Rahim Gazi, Shekander Ali, Shariful Gazi, Ahadul Islam, Maniruzzaman Gazi, Jamaluddin, Nazrul Islam, Nurul Islam and Rizia Khatun from the area. Drive is on to arrest the rest of the accused, the OC added.

Additional police have been deployed in the area.