Staff Correspondent:
DHAKA, Nov 14 (BDReports24) — Sakina Khatun, a weary domestic worker battling chronic physical pain, received a chilling phone call from the local police station while toiling in a stifling kitchen, turning her daily struggle for survival into an agonizing nightmare.
For years, Sakina has limped through life, working across multiple households in Dhaka to support her teenage son, Tanim, who studies in the tenth grade. Despite her aching body and relentless fatigue, her sole motivation has been her son’s education and a brighter future. That fragile dream shattered when the Chakbazar police summoned her to the station, revealing that Tanim had been caught by an angry mob during a botched mobile phone snatching incident in the neighborhood.
At the police station, a stony-faced officer detailed a barrage of accusations against the boy, ranging from harassment to street mugging. Confronted with bruised and bloodied handcuffs on her son, Sakina broke down in silent tears. The situation worsened when the police demanded Tk 25,000 in compensation to secure his release—an astronomical sum for a woman who barely earns enough to survive.
Left with no recourse, Sakina stepped out into the encroaching darkness of the city streets, her vision blurred by an endless stream of tears. As the streetlamps flickered to life, the dreams she had harbored for a decade dissolved into despair, leaving her to navigate an empty, bleak future.