A 70-year-old man died on the road to Dhaka after his ambulance was blocked twice by an entrenched ambulance syndicate in Shariatpur, exposing a ruthless racket that has now claimed at least two lives in less than six months.
Jamshed Ali Dhali of Damudya was first taken to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital on Tuesday morning. When doctors urged his family to rush him to the Neuro Science Hospital in Dhaka, panic set in. His relatives hired an ambulance for Tk 6,500, only for the driver to demand more once the patient was already inside.
Forced to switch vehicles, the family hired another ambulance for Tk 5,000 and started their journey.
They never imagined the real danger was not the patient’s condition, but a group of local ambulance owners who treat patients like bargaining chips.
As the ambulance crossed Gagrijora, around 7 to 8 men linked to the syndicate swarmed the vehicle. Led by Suman and Manik, with drivers Parvez and Sajeeb, the group seized the keys, blocked the road and argued with the crew for nearly half an hour.
Their message was clear: no ambulance leaves Shariatpur for Dhaka unless the syndicate gets paid.
Locals eventually forced the men to back off. But the ordeal didn’t end there.
At Jamtala, the same group intercepted the ambulance again, this time trying to drag the patient out. The vehicle was trapped for about 40 minutes. By the time locals intervened and cleared the way, Jamshed Ali’s condition had deteriorated beyond recovery. When the ambulance finally reached Dhaka around 3 pm, doctors pronounced him dead.
His grandson, Jobayer Hossain Roman, said the syndicate stole precious time that could have saved his grandfather’s life. The ambulance driver confirmed that the blockade was deliberate, violent and entirely driven by extortion.
The accused members of the syndicate have since vanished.
Shariatpur District Ambulance Owners Association President Abdul Hai said those responsible deserve harsh punishment, insisting that the association never instructs drivers to block patients. But families who’ve suffered say the syndicate has operated in the open for years.
Police say they will take action once a formal complaint is submitted.
This is not an isolated incident. On August 14 last year, a newborn died after the same syndicate blocked an ambulance for 40 minutes at Chowrangi in Shariatpur Municipality. The child died before reaching Dhaka.
Two deaths. Same district. Same racket. Same pattern of obstruction and extortion.
Residents say the syndicate controls ambulance movement, dictates fares and punishes anyone who tries to operate outside its grip. Families of victims are demanding punishment that actually dismantles the network, not just another round of disappearances and denials.
For many in Shariatpur, the fear now is blunt: fall sick, and you’re at the mercy of an ambulance mafia that decides who gets to live and who doesn’t.