Raiganj: More than 14 days have passed since a 14‑year‑old boy from Chagharia, Islampur of North Dinajpur, disappeared after sustaining severe injuries at a factory in Maheshtala, Kolkata. Family members alleged that the boy was subjected to brutal beatings and electric shocks while being hung upside down as punishment for an alleged mobile theft. He has not been found since.
On June 13, distraught relatives and neighbours staged a protest march from Islampur town to the local police station, demanding the boy’s immediate recovery.
During the agitation, the boy’s mother collapsed and was promptly admitted to Islampur Sub‑Divisional Hospital. Her condition remains critical and she has reportedly refused food since her son went missing.
Earlier, on June 8, a demonstration had blocked the state highway at Matikunda market with similar demands for action from law enforcement. “Whether our child is alive or dead, he must be traced immediately. Otherwise, we will lose my wife too,” pleaded Dil Mahammad, the boy’s father.
The missing teenager had begun working two months ago at Sahensa Ali’s garment factory in Maheshtala, Kolkata. According to social media reports surfacing about a fortnight ago, the boy was tortured in the factory under suspicion of mobile phone theft torture that involved hanging him upside down, beatings and electric shocks. Since then, he vanished without a trace.
Senior police from Islampur confirm that the alleged crime took place in Maheshpur, Kolkata, and falls under the jurisdiction of Rabindranagar Police Station. Five people, including the prime accused Sahensa Ali, have been arrested so far. Police sources say the investigation is ongoing and express cautious optimism that the missing boy will be found soon.