Police have recovered the charred body of a British expatriate from a haor in Zakiganj upazila, five days after he went missing, officials said.
The victim was identified as Burhan Uddin Shafi, a resident of Jagannathpur upazila in Sunamganj district of Sylhet.
Local residents spotted the body at Konarbondh Haor, between the Satghari and Bilpar areas of Sultanpur Union, and alerted the police.
On arrival, police found burn marks on different parts of the body and a rope tied around the neck. A packet of salt was also recovered from near the body, which police said has added to the mystery surrounding the case.
Investigators believe the body may have been set on fire in an attempt to conceal the victim’s identity and destroy evidence.
Officer-in-Charge of Zakiganj Police Station Abdur Razzaq said teams from the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) visited the scene and collected fingerprints to assist with identification.
The body was later identified by family members who arrived at the spot, he said.
Shafi had returned to Bangladesh from the UK with his wife and children on 28 January.
He went missing on 30 January while travelling from Sylhet to Kulaura, after which his family filed a general diary with the Sylhet Metropolitan Police Airport Police Station.
The body has been sent to the Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital morgue for an autopsy following the completion of inquest proceedings.
Police said an investigation is under way to determine the motive and circumstances behind the killing.
