A blind family in Bhola Sadar Upazila has been left devastated after thieves stole their last remaining asset—three cows. The theft has left the family in despair. The cows were stolen from Kandrakhpur village in Ward 4 of Rajapur Union on Sunday night.
Rajapur Union Chairman Rezaul Haque said that Md. Kamal Hossain (40), who is visually impaired, married Tanzila Akhter. The couple has three children, all of whom are also visually impaired. They rely on some allowances from the Union Parishad and the support of local people to make ends meet. After much effort, they managed to buy a cow, which they nurtured carefully. The cow had given birth to two calves, and the mother cow was seven months pregnant. In such a situation, all three cows were stolen from their barn.
Kalimuddin, the Dafadar of Rajapur Union, said that Kamal Hossain’s neighbor, Siraj, also had a cow stolen. Additionally, the thieves attempted to steal cows from four or five other families by releasing them from their barns but were unsuccessful in taking them.
Kamal Hossain, the visually impaired man, said that the whole family is currently in the neighboring district of Lakshmipur, searching for the cows. They are checking a market in Lakshmipur where stolen cattle are often sold.
Kamal’s wife, Tanzila Akhter, tearfully said that they have no relatives to rely on. They manage their household by begging and had bought the cow with great difficulty. Now that the cow has been stolen, she is deeply worried about how they will survive.
Local residents mentioned that ever since the price of cattle has increased, there have been nightly thefts in Bhola. Recently, in Paranaganj, Bhola, the police discovered several cow bones, legs, heads, and hides buried underground.
The Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Bhola Sadar Police Station, Md. Shahin Fakir, said that they had already identified a gang of cattle thieves in February. The gang consists of 17 members, and five of them have been arrested and sent to jail. He expressed hope that they would be able to recover Kamal Hossain’s stolen cows.
