Mystery deepens around 70yr old man found by Dhaka-Ctg highway

The details on  Chand Miah, 70, who was reported as having been abandoned by his son next to Dhaka-Chattogram Highway earlier this month, have begun to emerge. 

And the details only make the case murkier.

After contacting the address provided by Chand Mia, the upazila nirbahi officer learned that the elderly man had left home some 15 years ago. They also said he was also someone with mental ill-health. 

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Taposh Sheel told The Business Standard that they were only able to reach one of Chand Miah's siblings, now residing at the address mentioned by the elderly man, located in Noakhali's Begumganj.

Reportedly, all four of his children live in Dhaka.

Taposh Sheel said, "From his brother, we learned that Chand Mia had a mental disorder when he left home 15 years ago. As he did not return for a long time, family and locals assumed he was dead.

"Since none of his immediate family members now live in the area, we could not contact any of them," he said, noting that the information obtained about the septuagenarian couldn't be verified as no one had yet come looking for him.

The partially-paralysed man was rescued from Bara Gobinda Pur station area of Cumilla's Chandina Upazila on 14 October, after a benevolent passersby, Raihana Islam Runa, reported local authorities seeking help for Chand Miah. 

Unable to move – with the paralysis already gripping his left arm and leg – he would remain, with some people giving him morsels of food to survive on.

According to Chand Miah, he hails from Noakhali and has three sons and a daughter.  

In his words, he has been sick for a long time. On 6 October, his elder son Haroon left him midway, on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway, with just his wheelchair when returning home from a hospital in Dhaka.

He claimed to have spent his time next to the highway for around a week and when inquired by passers-by, he told them that he was waiting for his sons. 

"He told me to sit here. He will come soon," he would reply. 

After Upazila Nirbahi Officer Taposh Sheel rescued him, he took Chand Mia to the upazila health complex and wrote his name in place of the guardian in the hospital's registrar.

Addressing Chand Miah's health, upazila health officer Dr Arifur Rahman said, aside from the physical ailments, he had also suffered a mental shock from several days of neglect.

"We are monitoring to see if there are any more issues."