Staff Reporter :
A five-month-old baby fell off his mother’s lap and died after falling from a moving rickshaw during a mugging attempt in the city’s Doyaganj area early Monday.
The baby, Arafat, son of Shah Alam Gazi from Shariatpur district, was on his mother Aklima Begum’s lap when the incident took place. He fell when the muggers tried to snatch her handbag. Family sources said, Aklima and her son were on their way to Shanir Akhra on a rickshaw from Sadarghat area. When they reached Doyaganj, a group of muggers tried to snatch Aklima’s handbag which led to Arafat falling from the running rickshaw.
The critically injured child was rushed to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where on-duty doctors declared him dead. Akhlima said that she was heading to her sister’s house on a rickshaw around 6:00am when two-to-three snatchers grabbed her purse and tugged. The baby fell off her lap in the “sudden tug” and dropped to the ground.
The deceased father Shah Alam said that the tragic incident took place when Aklima was heading towards Shanir Akhra in a rickshaw along with their son Arafat in the morning. When they reached Doyaganj, the muggers intercepted the rickshaw and grabbed Aklima’s purse. As Aklima tried to resist the muggers, the baby slipped from her arms and suffered serious injuries.
Earlier, Shah Alam along with his family members arrived in Dhaka by a launch from Shariatpur.
Alam sent his wife along with Arafat to a relative’s house in Shanir Akhra and he moved to the DMCH with his ailing son Al Amin, 2, for medical treatment.
Jatrabari Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge (OC) Aminul Islam said: “We have talked to Arafat’s family and have already started conducting a raid to nab the perpetrators.”
