Bangladeshi killed in Italy

19 Apr 2014   08:56:36 AM   Saturday BdST

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News Desk
DHAKA: A Bangladeshi man died in the central Italian city of Pisa in the Toscana region Tuesday after being punched in the head while walking in the city centre in an attack characteristic of the so-called ‘knockout game’, reports Italy-version of English news site  The Local.

The Local, quoting Northeast region based Italian daily Il Gazzettino, identified the victim as Zakir Hoassini, a waiter, who died “after 24 hours of agony” following the unsolicited attack.

Hoassini had been in Italy since 2009 and was a waiter in an Indian restaurant for the past two years.

The murder caused uproar among Pisa’s Bangladeshi community, who rallied on Tuesday night in the area of the attack, demanding “truth and justice”, the newspaper said.

“An estimated 1,500 people, including the Bangladeshi ambassador, planned to march on Friday,” according to The Local.

Police were said to be “close to finding the attacker”, who they believe is a young Italian man with a “hefty” physique, reports Blitz Quotidiano website.

Surrounded by three friends, the attacker was caught on surveillance camera provoking Hoassini, a father of three, and then punching him, Blitz Quotidiano added.

The gang, thought to be aged between 25 and 35, then fled.

‘Knockout game’ is a vicious street-game craze that originated in the US, whereby passers-by are punched for the fun of it.

One theory is that the gang was playing ‘knockout’, a game that has swept across the US, claiming the lives of several people, with the point being to knock out the unsuspecting with a single punch.

If so, it would be the first attack of its kind in Italy.