Pump worker dies after co-worker sets him alight

A filling station worker died of his burns at a city hospital early yesterday, four days after he was set on fire allegedly by one of his co-workers.

Riad Hossain, 20, breathed his last at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery around 12:30am, his father Farid Mia said.

A student of Siddheswari College in the capital, the youth took the part-time job a few months ago with a monthly salary of Tk 5,000 to support his family.

He sustained 40 percent burns to his body on Tuesday after another worker Mahmudul Hasan Emon, 22, set him on fire out of anger, police said.

On the same day, Farid Mia filed a case with Shyampur Police Station in connection with the incident.

Police that day arrested Emon and two other employees -- Fahad Ahmed Pavel, 28, and Shahidul Islam, 18 -- of the filing station in the capital's Jurain.

Mofizul Islam, officer-in-charge of Shyampur Police Station, said four workers, including the victim and arrestees, were on the night shift at the filling station on Tuesday. As Emon was asleep, Riad went to call him to get to work.

Unable to wake Emon up, Riad sprinkled octane on his face. Angered by this, Emon took a container of octane, poured the fuel on Riad and set him on fire, leaving him critically injured, the police officer said quoting the arrestees.