6 arrested over death of Methikanda Railway Station worker Boby Begum

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested six people for their alleged involvement in the fatal assault and robbery of an elderly speech-impaired cleaning worker at Methikanda Railway Station in Narsingdi's Raipura upazila.

RAB-11 Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Masud Parvez confirmed the arrests on Friday.

RAB has yet to disclose the identities of the suspects.

The RAB official said further details will be disclosed at a press briefing in the RAB Media Centre in Karwan Bazar, Dhaka, on Friday afternoon.

Boby Begum, known locally as the "Mother" of Methikanda, died on Tuesday night.

In the early hours of 4 July, miscreants reportedly entered an abandoned room at Methikanda Railway Station where Boby lived and assaulted her before robbing her of around Tk40,000, which she had reportedly saved over many years.

Railway staff later rescued her and admitted her to Raipura Upazila Health Complex. After receiving primary treatment, she was taken back to the station.

On the night of 7 July, her condition deteriorated and she was again taken to Raipura Upazila Health Complex. She was later referred to Narsingdi Sadar Hospital for advanced treatment but died in an ambulance before reaching the hospital.

According to local residents, Boby got off a train at Methikanda Railway Station about two decades ago and has lived there ever since.

For many years, she voluntarily cleaned the station platform, toilets and other areas without receiving any salary. On humanitarian grounds, the station authorities allowed her to stay in an abandoned room on the station premises.

Local residents and passengers regularly provided her with food and financial assistance. Residents said she had managed to save a portion of those donations over the past 20 to 25 years.

They believe the attackers targeted her after learning about her savings.