A 19-year-old electric mechanic, Hridoy, was allegedly beaten to death by security personnel at Greenland Garments in Gazipur’s Konabari area. The incident sparked outrage among fellow workers, leading to mass protests and road blockades in the area. Police have arrested one person in connection with the murder.
According to Konabari Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Salah Uddin, the arrested man, Hasan Mahmud Mithun (28), is the son of Mofiz Uddin from Hadira Bazar in Tangail’s Dhanbari upazila.
Despite the incident reportedly taking place between Friday night and Saturday afternoon, it came to light only later as the factory authorities allegedly tried to suppress the information.
Hridoy, son of Abul Kalam from Shuktarbaid, Tangail, had been working temporarily in the dyeing section of Greenland Garments. He lived with his mother and sister in a rented home in Harinabari, Gazipur.
Local sources claim that on Saturday morning, Greenland security guards accused Hridoy of theft, tied his hands and feet, and dragged him into a room where he was brutally beaten. He succumbed to his injuries around noon. As news spread to nearby garment factories, nearly 500 workers poured into the streets, demanding justice. Protesters hurled bricks at the factory gates and blocked roads for several hours before police and army personnel intervened to bring the situation under control.
Following the incident, the Greenland factory authorities put up a notice declaring the factory closed indefinitely.
OC Salah Uddin stated that initially, the police were told that a thief had entered the factory by scaling the wall and was injured after falling into a drain. But hospital authorities later confirmed that Hridoy had been brought in dead. Acting on local reports, police raided the factory and collected CCTV footage and other evidence, which confirmed the incident to be a case of murder.
In the footage, several individuals can be seen tying Hridoy’s hands behind his back and dragging him into a room. Later, around 10:14 AM on Saturday, an ambulance is seen entering the factory premises. It leaves at 10:21 AM, allegedly carrying Hridoy’s lifeless body.
The accused has been produced before a Gazipur court, and police say more unidentified individuals are involved and efforts are underway to arrest them.
Multiple attempts to contact Greenland factory authorities for comment were unsuccessful.
