Police in Narail’s Lohagara upazila recovered the body of 20-year-old Syed Masum Billah on the day of his former lover’s wedding, prompting allegations of a premeditated killing from his family.
Masum, a resident of Makrail village in Shalnagar union, was found unconscious near the Madhumati Bridge in the Kashiani area along the Narail-Gopalganj border around 11am on Friday. Local auto-rickshaw driver Sujon transported him to Lohagara Upazila Health Complex.
Masum succumbed to his injuries around 12:30pm while preparations were underway to transfer him to Dhaka for advanced treatment.
According to family members, Masum had a romantic relationship with a teenage girl from Lahuria union. Their relationship reportedly ended after her family disapproved.
On Wednesday, Masum left the village for Dhaka and stayed at his sister’s home in search of work. However, upon learning of his lover’s wedding, he returned to Lohagara early Friday morning.
His cousin Tarikul last spoke to him by phone around 9am and urged him to return home. After that, Masum could not be reached.
Driver Sujon, who found Masum, told reporters he saw no signs of an accident at the location, and no one nearby had reported one. “It looked like someone had pushed him off a vehicle,” he said.
Masum’s uncle, Shariful Islam, claimed the youth had tried to stop his lover’s marriage earlier that morning and was subsequently threatened. He alleged the girl’s family was behind the death. “We heard her father told a local man that if Masum showed up again, things would get ugly,” he said.
According to Shariful, Masum managed to meet the girl at a parlour in Manikganj Bazar shortly before his death. “Later, his body was found with injury marks on his head and other parts of the body. One fingernail had been ripped off,” he said. “This was not an accident, it was a planned murder.”
Despite attempts, the family of the girl could not be reached for comment.
Lohagara Police Station officer-in-charge Md Shariful Islam confirmed the body was recovered and sent to Narail Sadar Hospital for autopsy. “Initial reports suggest an accident, but we are awaiting the post-mortem to determine the exact cause of death,” he said.