Pabna, June 16 (V7N) – Police have arrested three individuals in connection with the fatal hacking of a young man, Russell Hossain (31), in Pabna, reportedly on suspicion of mobile phone theft. The incident occurred around 12:30 AM on Saturday, June 14, in the Jafrabad area of Pabna Sadar Upazila. The deceased, Russell, was the son of Nazir Uddin of the same area.

Pabna Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abdus Salam confirmed the incident.

According to police and local accounts, on Saturday night, a mobile phone was stolen from the house of Russell's cousin, Maqbul Hossain, in Jafrabad. Suspecting Russell of the theft, Tanjil Hossain, a young man from the same area, confronted Russell and demanded the return of the phone. When Russell denied the theft and allegedly became angry and assaulted Tanjil, Tanjil's relatives and Maqbul's associates reportedly retaliated. They allegedly attacked Russell's house, hacking him with sharp weapons before fleeing the scene. Russell died on the spot.

However, Anjana Khatun, Russell's sister, denied the mobile phone theft allegation. She claimed that her brother had a pre-existing dispute with his cousin Maqbul over cutting bananas from a banana tree in an abandoned factory in their area, and that the murder stemmed from this dispute.

Officer-in-Charge Abdus Salam stated, "Upon receiving the news, the police went to the spot, recovered the body and sent it to the Pabna General Hospital morgue for autopsy." He added that three people involved in the incident, including two women, have been detained. "Preparations are underway to file a case in this incident. If they are accused in the case, they will be arrested and sent to jail." The OC declined to immediately disclose the names of the detainees.