A chilling surge in unidentified bodies pulled from the country’s rivers and railways has sparked an urgent security crisis, leaving investigators battling decayed evidence and a trail of mystery.
Decomposed corpses in rivers often defy identification due to degraded fingerprints, while many victims found near remote railway tracks are non-locals.
Although most incidents are initially logged as unnatural deaths, several show clear signs of homicide, hinting at a darker trend of planned violence.
Muhammad Omar Faruk, a professor of Criminology and Police Science at Maulana Bhashani University of Science and Technology, believes that professional criminals premeditate these acts.
Speaking to TIMES of Bangladesh, Faruk explained that bodies are dumped in rivers and on train tracks specifically to destroy evidence, eliminate clues, and strip victims of their identity to evade the legal framework.
This calculated strategy exploits lengthy investigation delays, allowing perpetrators to escape justice whilst leaving grieving families deeply disheartened, he said.
The issue recently intensified following the recovery of four bodies from Dhaka’s Turag River over a three-day span, a development that sparked widespread national debate.
Relatives identified at least three of the victims as activists of the banned Awami League. On social media, party loyalists alleged that members were murdered and thrown into the river after attending a procession.
Whilst police have rejected these claims, asserting that one victim, Md Sumon, simply drowned during a picnic, subsequent media reports have challenged the official narrative. A relative of Sumon told journalists that they had merely signed a pre-drafted document given by police rather than filing an independent statement, casting doubt on the transparency of the law enforcement agency’s account.
Data from the River Police confirms a sharp, unexplained increase in river fatalities over the past two years.
In 2024, an average of 36 bodies were recovered each month.
However, during the 17-month period from January 2025 to May 2026, that figure climbed significantly to 749 total bodies, averaging 44 per month.
This represents an abnormal 22 per cent spike in monthly recoveries, yet the police authorities have failed to provide any specific explanation for the rising toll.
Identification becomes difficult
Identifying bodies recovered from Bangladesh’s waterways remains a formidable challenge for law enforcement agencies.
Out of 749 bodies found over a recent 17-month period, 530 were identified, leaving 219 completely unknown.
Following these recoveries, authorities filed 55 murder cases and 314 unnatural death cases, while 161 bodies were released without post-mortems under general diaries.
For unidentified victims, police initiated 25 murder investigations and 189 accidental death cases. This follows a grim trend from 2024, where 141 out of 440 recovered bodies remained unidentified, prompting over 150 murder cases.
The chief of river police, Additional Inspector General Md Rezaul Karim, explained that murder cases are opened immediately if visible injuries are present.
Identification relies heavily on fingerprints, which are frequently unavailable due to severe decomposition.
Furthermore, matching fingerprints is impossible for victims lacking national identity cards, he said.
In such instances, forensic teams collect DNA samples. If relatives come forward later to report missing loved ones, authorities attempt to establish identity by matching these DNA profiles, offering a final, albeit delayed, chance at justice.
Four deaths a day along rail tracks
According to the Railway Police, an average of four people die daily on Bangladesh’s railway tracks.
While many fatalities stem from accidents or suicides, officials note a disturbing trend of criminals dumping murder victims on the lines to disguise homicides as train accidents.
Between 2019 and June 2024, authorities recovered 5,362 bodies from railway properties, comprising 3,930 men, 1,168 women, and dozens of children.
Investigators flagged 765 of these deaths as suspicious, ultimately confirming 81 premeditated murders.
Over 500 cases have been filed since 2021.
The Railway Police chief, Additional IGP Zillur Rahman, confirmed that bodies are routinely staged on tracks to divert investigations.
However, Railway Superintendent of Police (Crime and Operations) Anwar Hossain added that genuine fatalities also frequently occur due to family-related suicides, rooftop falls, reckless track crossing, and pedestrians walking along lines while wearing earphones.
