A timber trader was killed early yesterday when a truck driver hit him in the head with an iron rod during a fight over fare in the capital's Merul Badda.

The deceased, Nazrul Islam, 33, was a resident of Purbo Badda. He used to supply logs to different sawmills in the city and its outskirts

Around 2:00am yesterday, he brought a truckload of logs to Sundarban Sawmill in Merul Badda. While he was paying the fare, truck driver Rabiul demanded an additional Tk 700, claiming the amount had been spent to pay for some unforeseen expenses on the way — from Fatullah to Merul Badda.

As Nazrul refused to pay the extra sum, a heated argument ensued. At one stage, he hit the lumberman in the head and fled the scene in his truck. A helper and two labourers were with him.

Nazrul was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he died around 5:00pm.

His relative Abdus Sobhan told The Daily Star that Rabiul had agreed on a Tk 7,000 charge for transporting the logs.

Nazrul's brother has filed a murder case with Badda Police Station, accusing four people --Rabiul, the helper and the two labourers of the truck -- said Officer-in-Charge Mahbubur Rahman.