Cabbie run down, killed by own taxi as he chases thief

A hardworking, veteran cabbie was run down and killed by his own taxi in the Bronx as he chased a passenger who stole his backpack, police said Monday.

Tragedy struck about 11:40 p.m. on Sunday when Mohammad Zafrullah, a 65-year-old Bangaldeshi immigrant who drove a yellow cab for more than 20 years, dropped off a fare on Seward Ave. near Rosedale Ave. in Soundview.

The fare reached into the cab’s open front passenger window and snatched Zafrullah’s backpack, said cops and Zafrullah’s devastated family.

Zafrullah (photo) jumped out of the car to give chase to the thief.

But he’d left the taxi in reverse, said cops.

“It rolled back over him. That’s what actually killed him,” Zafrullah’s devastated niece Mansura Ghaffar, 36, told the Daily News on Monday.

The cab crushed Zafrullah’s head, said police.

A 911 caller told police a man had been stabbed — but cops found video that showed what really happened, cops said.

“When he got to Jacobi Hospital, the surgeons tried to revive him. It was emergency surgery, but he died on the table,” Ghaffar said.

Zafrullah, a Brooklyn resident, drove a cab since at least 1997, said the Taxi & Limousine Commission.

His family said he came to New York from Bangladesh more than 30 years ago.

He worked 12 hours a day, and didn’t own his medallion, said Ghaffar.

“He was a loving guy, a father of two grown kids,” she said.

“His sons are flying in from California. He was a really hardworking guy and a loving man.”

Her husband, Abrar Hossain, added, “We’re extremely grieved at the loss. He is a New Yorker for over 30 years. He was a loving father and brother.”

The thief, clad in a white shirt, was still being sought Monday.