A 35-year-old man died early Tuesday allegedly after being detained and tortured throughout the night on suspicion of theft in Nishindara of Sadar upazila in Bogura.

The deceased was identified as Shamim Hossain, son of Abdul Quddus of Chowmuhani area under Namuja union of the upazila.

Shamim's relatives alleged that Nishindara Union Parishad Member ABM Shafi and several others were involved in the incident.

Shamim's mother-in-law Sobeda Begum said Shamim went to Barpur to attend the funeral of a relative.

While Shamim was walking around the area at night, Shafi and several others allegedly detained him on suspicion of theft and beat and tortured him throughout the night.

At one point, they allegedly cut the tendons of his leg before leaving him in critical condition at an abandoned place.

A village police member later rescued him and took him to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital, where he died early Tuesday while undergoing treatment.

As news of Shamim's death reached his relatives, they staged a protest in front of the Union Parishad Complex, demanding the arrest of those responsible.

They also blocked the road by placing tree logs on it.

However, UP Member Shafi denied the allegations against him, saying he had been staying at home after being injured in a motorcycle accident on Saturday.

“I received calls from two people around 3:00am saying that a thief was caught. I told them not to beat him and to keep him at the Union Parishad Complex. The allegations against me are false,” he said.

Officer-in-Charge of Bogura Sadar Police Station Ibrahim Ali said he visited the scene on Tuesday morning.

“A youth was beaten to death after being suspected of being a thief,” he said, adding that legal action will be taken against those involved.