Police seize Hanif Paribahan bus that caused Cumilla crash, killing 4, by wrong-side driving
Police believe the driver and helper went into hiding after abandoning the bus.
Highway police have seized a Hanif Paribahan bus that was travelling in the wrong direction and caused a tragic accident last Friday (22 August) at Paduar Bazar in Cumilla, killing four members of a single family.
The bus was located and impounded from a field in front of the Manama Hotel in Khadghar, Debidwar Upazila, on Sunday (24 August), Cumilla Moynamoti Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Iqbal Bahar Majumder told The Business Standard.
The accident occurred when a speeding, cement-laden lorry, attempting to avoid the wrong-way bus, overturned onto a private car waiting at the Paduar Bazar U-turn on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway.
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The crash killed Mohammad Omar Ali (80), his wife Nurjahan Begum (65), and their two sons, Abul Hashem (50) and Abul Kashem (45), all from Hossainpur village in Barura Upazila.
Three passengers in a nearby CNG-run autorickshaw were also injured.
Following the accident, Abul Kalam, brother of the deceased Omar Ali, filed a case against the drivers of the bus and the lorry at Cumilla Sadar South Police Station.
OC Majumder said police identified the bus after reviewing CCTV footage.
"Our operation continued after the bus was identified," he said.
"Based on a tip-off, the bus was seized from a field on Sunday afternoon. However, neither the driver nor the helper was found."
Police believe the driver and helper went into hiding after abandoning the bus. "A search operation is ongoing to apprehend them," he added.
In response to the accident, authorities have temporarily closed the Paduar Bazar U-turn. Cumilla Sub-Divisional Engineer Adnan Bin Hasan confirmed that all vehicles must now use the Doyapur U-turn until further notice.
