A young factory worker was allegedly tied up and beaten to death over a theft accusation inside a garment factory in Gazipur’s Konabari area.
Following the circulation of disturbing footage of the incident on social media, the factory has been declared closed for an indefinite period.
The incident occurred early Saturday morning at Greenland Limited, where 19-year-old Hridoy, a mechanical technician, was found dead. He was a resident of Shuktar Baid village in Tangail`s Ghatail upazila.
A one-minute-16-second video clip that went viral on Facebook shows Hridoy bound by ropes inside an office room of the factory.
He was shirtless and tied to a window, visibly in pain, with blood seen oozing from his mouth and nose. Blood stains were also visible on his jeans. In the footage, voices can be heard saying, “Even after so much beating, he’s still not dead.”
Another clip shows several men dragging Hridoy, still bound, from one room to another. One of them was carrying a wooden stick, and Hridoy’s hands and feet were tightly tied with rope. The victim appeared unable to stand or move on his own.
Following the incident, Hridoy`s elder brother Liton Mia filed a murder case at Konabari Police Station on Saturday night against unnamed individuals. On Sunday, police arrested a factory worker named Hasan Mahmud in connection with the case.
According to police and the case statement, Hridoy had not returned home after his shift. Later in the day, his family visited the factory and witnessed workers protesting on the premises.
They were informed that Hridoy had been accused of theft and killed, prompting demonstrations and a highway blockade.
When they asked about the body, they were told it had been taken to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College, where they identified his remains.
Liton Mia alleged that his brother was severely tortured and killed inside the factory and that the management tried to cover up the incident by sending the body to the hospital. “We want justice,” he said.
Konabari Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Salahuddin confirmed that one person has been arrested and that operations are underway to identify and detain others involved in the incident.
Following the outcry, the factory authority issued a notice declaring an indefinite closure. However, Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent AKM Zahirul Islam later stated that the factory had initially announced a two-day closure and may reopen on Tuesday.
Attempts to contact Greenland Limited’s DGM Kamrul Hasan for comment were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to repeated phone calls.
