Staff Correspondent
A man who was detained over an alleged mobile phone theft at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital in Dhaka died while undergoing treatment at the hospital’s emergency department on Friday.
The deceased was identified as Md Jony Hossain, 30.
According to a statement issued by the Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Force, five people were detained by Ansar personnel in separate incidents at the hospital early Friday.
Ansar officials said all five detainees were handed over to the hospital authorities at around 9:45am in a healthy and normal condition.
Jony later became ill and was taken to the emergency department at around 3pm. He died at approximately 5pm, according to sources concerned.
Police went to the hospital after the incident and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death. They are also questioning people concerned, the statement said.
The five people were detained in separate incidents during the early hours of Friday.
At around 3am, a man identified as Shahadat, 35, was detained while allegedly cutting an air-conditioner pipe on the roof of Ward No. 632.
At around 5:50am, three people were detained from Ward No. 420 over allegations of mobile phone theft. They were identified as Jony Hossain, 30, Jihan, 12, and Nadim, 11.
Another man, identified as Anisur, 32, was detained at around 6am near the ICU on the third floor for allegedly harassing a patient’s relative.
The detainees were subsequently handed over to hospital authorities by Ansar personnel.
Ansar members APC Md Shafiqul Islam, APC Md Abdur Razzak, Md Habib Khan and Md Hasan Ali handed over the five detainees to Ward Master Md Rezaul at around 9:45am, the statement said.
According to the statement, the detainee accused of cutting the AC pipe and the man accused of harassing a patient’s relative were later released by the hospital authorities.
However, the three people detained over alleged mobile phone theft were reportedly kept in a room by Ward Master Rezaul and Supervisor Suman as the complainant’s mobile phone had not been recovered.
Jony subsequently fell ill and was taken to the emergency department, where he later died.
The Ansar authorities said the exact cause of death and the circumstances surrounding the incident would be established through investigation.
Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Force said its members remain committed to maintaining security and preventing crime while performing their duties at important public service institutions, including hospitals.
The statement was signed by Md Nazmus Sakib, assistant director and public relations officer of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Force.
