Patuakhali, April 26 -- A pregnant woman was allegedly beaten and physically tortured by an NGO's workers in Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali after she failed to repay instalments of a small loan.

The incident took place around 12 noon on Saturday at the woman's house in Gandamari village under Dhankhali union of the upazila.

The victim, Khairun Begum, wife of expatriate Nazir Molla, was reportedly grabbed by the hair, punched, and kicked in the lower abdomen, causing her to fall ill.

She was later rescued and admitted to Kalapara Hospital and is now undergoing treatment in the maternity ward.

Speaking from her hospital bed, Khairun Begum said her husband had taken a Tk 40,000 loan from the Community Development Center (CODEC), an NGO i...