A police driver named Ashik Ahmed, 28, has died of a snakebite after going into the water to fish at Maheshpur in Jhenaidah. The incident happened at Nasti baor on Tuesday afternoon.

Ashik was the son of Jahidul Islam of Dakaharpara village in Ekdala union, Raninagar, Naogaon.

Nitya Haldar and Nayeb Ali, members of Nasti baor, said that around midday on Tuesday ASI Shakil Ahmed, constable Md Arif Hossain Munshi and driver Ashik Ahmed of Jhenaidah Police Lines came to the baor to fish. After Ashik went into the water, a venomous snake bit him at about 3.30pm.

The police officers with him took him to Maheshpur hospital, where the doctor on duty and the hospital's resident medical officer, Dr Habibur Rahman, declared him dead.

Dr Habibur Rahman said the patient had died before reaching hospital. There was a wound on his leg resembling a snakebite and his fingernails had turned blue. Ashik showed the kind of symptoms seen in snakebite patients, he said.

Mehedi Hasan, officer-in-charge (OC) of Maheshpur police station, said four police members including Ashik had come from Jhenaidah to Maheshpur police station to have a vehicle repaired. After the work they went to Nasti baor, where they also fished with rods. Ashik fell ill when he went into the water to bathe after fishing. Doctors told the OC that a venomous snake may have bitten Ashik while he was fishing in the baor.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.