Two individuals were beaten to death by a mob on suspicion of van theft in Rangpur’s Taraganj upazila on Saturday, August 9, 2025, around 9 PM in the Burirhat Bottola area under Sayar union. The victims have been identified as Rupalal Das (40), a resident of Ghonirampur village in Taraganj, and his son-in-law Pradeep Das (35), from Baluabhata village in Mithapukur upazila.According to family members, police, and eyewitnesses, discussions were ongoing for the marriage of Rupalal’s daughter, Dupur Das, with Dipjol Das, son of Lalchand Das from Shyampur in Mithapukur, with the wedding date to be finalized on Sunday. Pradeep Das was traveling from Mithapukur to Rupalal’s house in Taraganj on his van to prepare for the event. Unfamiliar with the route, he reached Kazirhat in Sayar union and called Rupalal for directions. Rupalal joined him, and they began heading toward Ghonirampur together on the van.
Around 9 PM, when they reached Bottola on the Taraganj-Kazirhat road, locals stopped them on suspicion of van theft. As a crowd gathered, tensions escalated. The situation worsened when locals found four small plastic bottles in a sack on Pradeep’s van. Upon opening one, two individuals—van driver Alamgir Hossain from Pasharipara and Mehedi Hasan from Burirhat—reported feeling unwell due to the odor of the liquid inside, further fueling suspicion.
Believing the men were attempting to steal the van using sedatives, the mob began assaulting them. The victims were beaten and dragged from Bottola to the playground of Burirhat High School, where they were left unconscious. Police recovered them around 11 PM and took them to Taraganj Upazila Health Complex, where Rupalal Das was declared dead. Pradeep Das was referred to Rangpur Medical College Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries early Sunday morning. Rupalal’s brother, Khokon Das, confirmed the deaths.
Taraganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) M.A. Faruq stated, “Two individuals died in a mob beating incident. Preparations for filing a case are underway.”
