A 45-year-old rickshaw puller was killed after being run over by a covered van in the Kajla area of Jatrabari in the capital early Wednesday.
The deceased, identified as Babul Hawlader Sagor, was a resident of Shaniarkhra. He hailed from Madanpur in Narayanganj district.
The accident occurred around 5:15 am near the Kajla toll plaza. He was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where attending doctors declared him dead at 6:00 am.
According to a passenger of the rickshaw, Md. Noyan Sarkar, Sagor was pulling his battery-operated rickshaw by hand after it had broken down on the road.
Noyan was walking behind the vehicle. At that moment, a speeding covered van, while attempting to overtake a private car, ran over Sagor and fled the scene immediately.
Noyan rescued the victim and brought him to the hospital, where he was declared dead.
The victim’s wife, Beauty Akter, said Sagor had left their Shaniarkhra residence with his rickshaw at 4:45 am. Only half an hour later, she received news of the tragic accident. The couple has two children.
Inspector Md. Faruk, in-charge of the DMCH Police Camp, confirmed the death and stated that the body has been kept at the morgue for an autopsy. Jatrabari Police are currently investigating the incident and working to identify the vehicle.