Schoolboy dies from stray bullet

A schoolboy was killed after being hit by a bullet accidentally came from his hunter neighbour in Chattogram's Lohagara upazila on Wednesday evening.

The deceased was identified as Maruful Islam, 13, son of Mohammad Forkan of West Narishcha Jadimura area of Ward 8 of Chunti Union and class VI student of Putibila High School.

According to the victim's family members, when Maruful was studying in the yard of his house around 7pm, they heard a gunshot.

After coming out of the house, they found Maruful lying in the yard covered in blood.

Being rescued, he was first rushed to a private clinic of the upazila.

Then, the injured schoolboy was taken to Lohagara Upazila Health Complex where on-duty doctors pronounced him dead.

UP member Abdul Monaf Sikder told The Business Standard the neighbour Jitang Barua, son of Vettu Barua, a boar hunter, used to hide his gun under a straw pile after returning back from hunting. When, he was pulling the gun out of the straw pile in the evening, the bullet came out from the gun inadvertently, hit the boy.

Lohagara Police Station Officer-in-charge (OC) Jaker Hossain Mahmud said that on information they recovered the body and sent it to Chittagong Medical College Hospital for autopsy.

The victim's father filed a case with the police station on Thursday morning against Jitang.

The accused went into hiding after the incident, said the OC adding that legal action will be taken in this regard after investigation.