Manzur Hossain, a driver on a Hanif Enterprise bus, was stuck at home during the entirety of the pandemic lockdown. He was several months late on rent. His wife was sick and he needed money for her treatment.
So, once the lockdown lifted, he threw himself into work. At the time of his death, he had been driving the bus for nine days straight.
On the night of Aug 31, Manzur’s bus was headed to Panchagarh when it was set upon by robbers on the highway near Rangpur’s Pirganj. In an attempt to save his passengers, Manzur tried to park the bus diagonally.
Guessing his intent, the robbers struck him with a sharp weapon along his shoulders. The 55-year-old would later die from that injury, reports bdnews24.com.
Six people have been arrested over the robbery and murder, Commander Khandker Al Moeen, director of the RAB Law and Media Wing, said at a news conference on Sunday.
The driver made a desperate attempt to save his passengers from the robbers, he said. “The robbers caught on and hacked at his shoulder.”
Paimul Islam was working alongside Manzur as the supervisor on the bus that night. He is the plaintiff in the robbery and murder case filed with the police.
After Manzur was injured, his attackers took him to the back of the bus and laid him on the floor. Paimul was also ordered to lie down next to him.
Paimul is still struggling with the guilt of not having helped his co-worker at the time because of his fear of the robbers. The details of that night seem to be haunting him. He still sees his coworker bleeding out and feels unable to help.
Paimul said their bus left Dhaka’s Gabtali at 7:00 am on Aug 31. They picked up three passengers at Savar and another two at Nabinagar, not realising they were robbers.
The robbers began making their move around 2:00 am or 2:30 am, Paimul said. He had been sitting on the engine cover next to the driver’s seat and their helper had been sleeping on one of the passenger seats.
They had just passed the Dhaperhat intersection in Gaibandha when one of the robbers came up behind him, held a knife to his neck and said: “No screaming.”
Two others held knives to Manzur’s neck from either side. Another, who RAB identified as detainee Riazul Islam Lalu, tried to snatch control of the steering wheel from Manzur.
Lalu cursed Manzur and told him to park on the side of the road. Instead of stopping, Manzur swerved and tried to park the vehicle across the road in an attempt to block traffic behind him to draw attention to the robbery, Paimul said.
“But, as soon as he attempted to make the first swerve, one of the robbers hit him along the shoulder with a machete. Manzur became weak from the injury and one of the robbers grabbed the steering wheel. The bus was going at 60 or 70 km per hour then.”
Two of the robbers then carried Manzur to the back of the bus. Paimul was slashed on the arm and then taken to the back of the bus as well. Two of the robbers then stood guard over them.
The other three robbers began looting the belongings of the other passengers. Most of the passengers did not make too much of a commotion, but when an elderly man tried to speak up as they stole Tk 7,000 from him, the robbers beat him.
Manzur was already fading when they took him to the back of the bus, said Paimul. About ten minutes later, he asked for some water and a passenger gave some to him. Right after taking a drink, Manzur lost consciousness.
Manzur bled out badly on the bus. When he was finally taken to hospital, doctors said he had died of blood loss.
RENT OVERDUE, WIFE SICK
Manzur had driven a Hanif Enterprise bus for 15 years. He lived with his wife and two sons in Dhaka’s Lalbagh.
Maruf Hossain, his elder son, is an Honours student in Chemistry at Suhrawardy College. His younger son has passed high school.
Maruf said that the family had struggled through the lockdown as his father was out of work. They owed their landlord nearly Tk 26,000. His mother was sick, but there was no money for her treatment.
Manzur had been working for nine days straight to earn more money for his family. Usually, long-haul buses change drivers every other day, but Manzur was taking on the extra work for his family.
Police brought news of his death to the family early on Sept 1.
“My father wanted us to study and get a job,” Maruf said. “He never let me or my brother work because he wanted us to focus on our studies. I don’t know how we’ll manage without him. How will we pay our rent or pay for our mother’s treatment?”
SIX ARRESTED
RAB says that they arrested six suspects believed to be directly involved in the robbery through raids in Dhaka’s Ashulia and Gaibandha on Sept 4.
The detainees have been identified as Nayan Chandra Roy, 22, Riazul Islam Lalu, 22, Omor Farukh, 19, Firoz Kabir, 20, Abu Sayeed Molla, 25, and Shakil Miah, 26.
They also seized five sharp weapons, including the one used in the murder, loot and mobile phones, the law enforcers said.
RAB said that the gang had carried out seven robberies on the 48-km road between Gaibandha’s Palashbari and Rangpur’s Pirganj in the past month.