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A man accused of theft has allegedly been tortured by being set upon with dogs at a steel mill in Cumilla’s Burichang Upazila. Police have detained three people in connection with the incident.
The incident occurred during Friday’s Jummah prayers at Sakura Steel Mill, according to Mohammad Azizul Haque, chief of Burichang Police Station.
The victim, 32-year-old Joy Kumar Saha from Shitalpur village in Brahmanbaria’s Kasba, was detained inside the mill before being beaten and bitten by dogs, bdnews24.com reports.
Footage circulating on social media shows two dogs attacking the man as several people strike him with sticks. The video captures Joy collapsing on the ground, screaming for help.
The clip has drawn the ire of netizens, with calls for punishment of those involved in the abuse.
Police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) launched a joint raid around midnight on Friday and arrested three men -- mill security guards Shanto Islam, Mohammad Lipu and Md Sajib -- over their suspected involvement in the incident.
Authorities said the suspects themselves had uploaded the video online.
The guards told police that thefts had been taking place at the mill for some time, often during Friday prayers. On this occasion, they claimed they stayed behind instead of attending prayers and caught Joy after he entered the mill.
At a media briefing on Saturday morning, Maj Sadman Ibne Alom, commanding officer of RAB-11 CPC-2, said:
“Recently there was a robbery at the steel mill. Since then, security guards have been on high alert.
During Jummah prayers on Friday, they lay in wait and caught Joy inside the mill before beating him. Three German Shepherd dogs were unleashed to torture him.”
He added that Joy's van, used for his scrap business, was found outside the mill, but law enforcers had no previous record of criminal activity against him.
Police said Joy, who received medical treatment for his injuries, has been placed in custody. He has filed a case against the three security guards, accusing them of torture.
Investigators are working to determine whether others were also involved, according to Azizul.