A security guard was found dead with his throat slit inside an ATM booth of a private bank in the capital's Cantonment area yesterday.

The body of night shift guard Sheikh Touhidul Islam, 17, was found inside the ATM booth of Eastern Bank Limited near Dhaka Cantonment Post Office, said Mahbub Hossain, officer-in-charge of Cantonment Police Station.

“… A security guard in the morning shift found the body around 8:00am and informed the police,” the OC said, confirming that the victim's throat was slit.

The OC, however, could not confirm if any money was stolen from the booth.

Confirming the incident, EBL authorities in a statement said, Touhidul was killed “during his duty at the ATM booth between 3:45am and 4:00am” and he was “a security guard of Global Security Services.”

According to the statement, no money was taken out of the ATM machine during the incident.                   

Police sent the body to Dhaka Medical College morgue for autopsy.

Young Touhidul, who passed the SSC exam last year, was the only earner for his family as his father became ill with kidney complications and his brother has physical disabilities, said his maternal cousin Shahidul Islam.

He started the job on May 1 and was staying at an accommodation provided by the security firm in Banani area, added Shahidul.

Investigation is going on to determine the motive behind the killing and police have sought CCTV footage from the bank, OC Mahbub said.