Saudi returnee doctor murdered in Chattogram

Unknown miscreants have killed a sexagenarian doctor brutally in Chattogram’s Sitakunda upazila.

Deceased Dr Md Shah Alam, 61, a child specialist returned to Bangladesh two years ago after serving at Madina Maternity and Children’s Hospital in Saudi Arabia for around 30 years.

The incident took place on Thursday night when he was returning to his home in Chadgaon residential area of Chattogram city from his clinic at Sitakunda’s Chhotokumira village, our Chattogram correspondent reports quoting Shamim Sheikh, inspector (investigation) of Sitakunda Police Station.

Police recovered the body from Kumira Ghat in Sitakunda yesterday morning. Later, his relatives identified the body.

He came to Bangladesh after retirement to do something for the people of his village, the deceased’s relatives said.

He was advised not to return to Bangladesh by his close ones but he came back only to serve the local people ignoring all the discouragement, said his relatives.

Alam started construction work of the clinic soon after he returned. The clinic “Baby Care Private Limited” opened on January 17 this year.

The doctor used to travel to his home from his clinic by public transport, said Izab Uddin, the receptionist at the clinic.

On Thursday night, Izab escorted him to a human hauler of Safe Line Paribahan. There were only two passengers on the vehicle including the doctor when Izab last saw him, the receptionist said.

The doctor’s niece Nasrin Akhter said the murder seemed to be planned as valuables like his wrist watch was still with the body. So, the murder was not carried out by the muggers, Nasrin alleged.

Alam was a student of batch 20 of Chittagong Medical College and completed MBBS in 1983.

Dr Mujibul Huq Khan, president of Bangladesh Medical Association (Chattagram Chapter), also a class mate of the deceased, said that Alam was very soft-spoken and good in nature and he did not have any enmity with anyone according to his knowledge.

Such incident will discourage brilliant minds, who are in abroad, to return to the country to serve its people, the classmate said.