Auto-rickshaw driver jumps off Padma bridge being chased by security guards; rescue operation underway

An unidentified auto-rickshaw driver went missing after he jumped off the Padma Bridge during a chase by security guards at the Mawa end of the bridge in Munshiganj district on Monday.

He jumped into the Padma River from the bridge near pillar no 21 around 1:50am.

Alamgir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Padma Uttar Police Station, said, "The security guards chased the auto-rickshaw driver when he was running the vehicle on the bridge defying the ban on such vehicles plying on the bridge.

"Noticing the security guards, the driver tried to flee with the vehicle and fell on the bridge hitting a stationary pickup van," he said.

The driver then jumped into the river when the security guards almost caught up with him, he added.

A team of divers from Dhaka went to the spot on Monday morning and has been conducting a rescue operation along with personnel from the fire service, river police and coast guards, the officer further said.