Jhalokathi, Oct 11 (V7N) – A fisherman died after reportedly running in panic over rumours of a fisheries department raid in Kathalia upazila of Jhalokathi on Saturday morning.

The deceased was identified as Md Farid Talukdar, 55, a resident of Ward 8 in Bashbunia village. According to his family, he had long suffered from heart disease and stroke-related complications and had recently undergone eye surgery. They suspect he suffered a stroke while running in fear of a possible raid.

Family members and local sources said Farid set a fishing net in the Bakar Bharani canal in the Chhonauta area of Amua Union at around 2am on Saturday.

At about 6am, he heard the sound of a motorised boat moving through the canal and assumed that fisheries officials were arriving to conduct a raid. Fearing that his fishing net would be seized, he hurriedly got out of his boat, climbed onto the bank and began running.

While running, he called his brother, Abdur Rahman Talukdar, by phone and said, “It seems they are going to take my net today.”

After receiving the call, Abdur Rahman went to the canal bank but found no fisheries officials in the area. Farid’s boat was floating empty in the middle of the canal. Repeated attempts to call his brother later went unanswered.

Family members subsequently began searching for him. At around 8:30am, they found him lying face down in a garden belonging to Salam Peda in Chhonauta village, approximately 50 feet from the boat.

He was taken by motorised boat to the upazila health complex at around 9:30am, where the attending physician declared him dead.

The upazila fisheries office said no raid had been conducted in Amua Union that morning.

Upazila Fisheries Officer Nahida Akter said the department had conducted a raid overnight in Awrabunia Union with Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Mokbul Hossain, but no fisheries team had been sent to Amua Union.

Confirming the incident, Sub-Inspector Sohel Rana, second officer of Kathalia Police Station, said the body had been handed over to the family for burial as no complaint had been lodged by the relatives.

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