Rab arrests butcher for allegedly killing colleague

The Rapid Action Battalion last night arrested the prime suspect in the killing of a butcher in Rajshahi's Bagha upazila.

On January 20, Al Mamun, 38, a butcher in Bagha's Arani Bazar area, was stabbed to death by a fellow meat trader for selling meat at a cheaper price. He died on the way to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.

A joint team of Rab-5 and Rab-8 arrested Mizanur Rahman Khokon, 35, from Shibchar area in Madaripur, Rab Director (Legal and Media Wing) Commander Khandaker Al Moin told a press conference at the Rab media centre in the capital's Karwan Bazar today.

The Rab official said that Khokon is a relative to the victim Mamun. They used to sell meat together in Arani Bazar area. On December 22, 2023, the Directorate of National Consumers' Rights Protection, the Meat Traders Association, and the Bangladesh Dairy Farmers Association held a joint meeting and decided to sell beef at Tk 650 per kg.

Later, a rift arose between Khokon and Mamun over selling meat at a price fixed by the Consumer Directorate. At one point, Mamun started selling meat separately. As a result, the amount of meat sold in the shop of the victim Mamun increased than Khokon's.

On the day of the incident, when a heated argument broke out between them over the sale of meat at a fixed price, Khokon got agitated and stabbed Mamun in the stomach and chest with a meat cleaver, Moin said.

To avoid arrest, Khokon initially stayed at a relative's house in Rajshahi's Tahirpur area. Later, he moved to Qutubpur area of Shibchar intending to hide permanently and started working there as a dredger worker, he added.

The Rab official said that there are four cases against Khokon, with Bagha Police Station, for various crimes including narcotics.