A life-term prisoner convicted in a rape case died after falling ill at Kushtia District Jail on Tuesday night. The inmate, identified as 28-year-old Ariful Islam from Rajinathpur village in Khoksa upazila, became sick around 8:30 p.m. and was being taken to Kushtia General Hospital when he died on the way. Jail Superintendent Md. Shariful Alam confirmed the incident around 9:30 p.m., stating that Ariful had complained of chest pain and underwent an ECG at the prison hospital before being referred for advanced treatment.

According to Dr. Abdul Mannan, superintendent of Kushtia 250-bed General Hospital, the prisoner was brought to the emergency department around 9 p.m., where doctors declared him dead after examination. Jail and hospital sources indicated that the initial assumption is that he died from a heart-related condition.

Authorities have not yet provided further details on the official cause of death or whether an autopsy will be conducted.