Police on Thursday recovered the body of a local Shramik Dal leader, buried under the soil in an abandoned room at his father-in-law’s residence in Chatkhil upazila of Noakhali, six days after he went missing.
The deceased was identified as Mohammad Russel, 27, son of Sirajul Islam of Jamaddar Bari in Singbahura village under Noakhala union.
Russel was a former member of Chatkhil Upazila Shramik Dal and a candidate for the post of general secretary of Noakhala Union Shramik Dal.
His body was recovered at around 12:30pm on Thursday from Chowkidar Bari in Sankhali village of the same union, hours after police located the site during a late-night raid at about 2am on Wednesday night.
According to local sources, Russel had been embroiled in a longstanding domestic dispute with his wife, Mukta Begum, which eventually led to their separation.
The couple had a son and a daughter, both of whom resided with their father.
On the night of 6 November, at around 10:30pm, Mukta Begum and her sister, Ratna, allegedly lured Russel to his in-law’s house on the pretext of reuniting the family and resuming their conjugal life.
Russel went missing after visiting the house, and his family’s search yielded no trace of him.
Consequently, his father, Sirajul Islam, lodged a General Diary (GD) with Chatkhil Police Station on 7 November.
Following Russel’s disappearance, Mukta Begum and her family members fled the house.
Shahjahan Rana, former acting president of Chatkhil Upazila BNP, said he went to the police station with Shramik Dal leaders on Wednesday night and accompanied a police team to Russel’s in-law’s house.
During the raid at around 2am, team members detected a severe foul stench emanating from a dilapidated, abandoned room on the premises.
Upon searching the room, they discovered Russel’s body buried in the ground and covered under old quilts and mattresses.
The body bore injury marks caused by iron rods on the head and several parts of the body, and police seized an iron rod from the spot.
In tears, the victim’s father, Sirajul Islam, alleged that his son was murdered and demanded a fair investigation alongside exemplary punishment for those responsible.
Chatkhil Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abdul Monnaf confirmed the recovery of the body and noted that members of the victim’s in-law family remain absconding.
He added that the body would be sent to the morgue of the 250-bed Noakhali General Hospital for a post-mortem examination, and formal legal action would be initiated upon receiving a written complaint.
