A farmer and his family have alleged that a neighbour drugged them by mixing an intoxicating substance in their food and then stole Tk 4.5 lakh in cash and gold jewellery from their home in Aditmari upazila.

The incident reportedly took place at Tepa Palashi village on the evening of August 24.

The victim, Monirul Islam, said he had saved Tk 4.5 lakh by selling cows and other belongings to buy a piece of land.

According to Monirul and his family, their neighbour Nausher Ali visited their house that evening after learning about the money they had saved.

The family said Nausher stayed for some time and chatted with them. At one point, Monirul's wife Rabeya Begum left their home-cooked food on the dining table and went to another room to attend to household work.

They alleged that Nausher then mixed an intoxicating substance in the food and left the house.

Later that night, Monirul, his wife Rabeya and their son Munna Mia ate the food and went to sleep.

The following day, neighbours noticed that the family members were not responding. They informed their relatives and entered the house, where they found all three unconscious and household belongings scattered around.

The family members were taken first to Aditmari Upazila Health Complex and later shifted to Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital. After receiving treatment for several days, they reportedly recovered consciousness and discovered that the cash and gold jewellery were missing.

Monirul subsequently filed a written complaint against Nausher at Aditmari Police Station.

However, he alleged that police had not registered a case or recovered the stolen belongings even six days after the incident.

He further alleged that police officials told him to file a case in court instead.

He also alleged that Nausher had threatened him after learning about the complaint.

However, Nausher denied visiting Monirul's house or stealing from the family.

“I rarely stay in the area. I did not even go to their house. I heard that they had fallen ill,” he said over the phone before ending the call when asked about the allegation of theft.

Aditmari Police Station Officer-in-Charge Nazmus Shakib Sajeeb said police had begun investigating the complaint.

“We have started an investigation after receiving the complaint. So far, we have not been able to recover the stolen goods,” he said.

He also rejected Monirul's allegation that police had refused to take the case or harassed him.

“I will visit the area and investigate the matter myself,” the OC said.