Police have recovered human bones, including a skull, along with a pair of trousers and a vest from a jungle in Phulpur upazila of Mymensingh, 25 days after a 19-year-old man was reported missing. The recovery was made at around 10.30pm on Sunday from an area locally known as Garor Bhita in Chandrapur village.
The missing man, Rashidul Islam, was identified by his father, Md Shahjahan, from the clothing found alongside the remains. Rashidul was a resident of Krishna Maheshpatti village in Phulpur.
Police have arrested three young men in connection with the suspected killing. They are Jasim Uddin, 24, Rafiq, 28, and Mozammel Hossain, 27. Investigators said the suspects had allegedly admitted during preliminary questioning that Rashidul was strangled. However, the precise motive for the killing has yet to be established.
According to police and family members, Rashidul was working as a labourer at a brick kiln with his father. As there was no work available there, he had been staying at home for about a month and a half. During that period, his association with three young men from a nearby area reportedly increased. He occasionally worked with them at different locations as a day labourer.
On the night of 12 August, at around 9pm, Jasim allegedly called Rashidul out of his home using a mobile phone. Rashidul did not return afterwards. The following morning, a call was made to his father from Rashidul’s own mobile number. A woman speaking on the phone allegedly demanded Tk50,000 as ransom and gave the family only two hours to arrange the money. Several calls and text messages were reportedly sent.
Shahjahan subsequently filed a general diary at Phulpur police station that same day, reporting his son’s disappearance.
Jasim left the area shortly after Rashidul went missing. An abduction case was later filed at Phulpur police station on 25 August, naming Jasim as the principal accused and three to four unidentified individuals as additional suspects.
During the investigation, police arrested Jasim from the Shyamganj railway station area in Netrokona on Sunday afternoon. Acting on information allegedly obtained from him, officers later arrested Rafiq and Mozammel from their own locality.
Police subsequently conducted a search in the Garor Bhita jungle in Chandrapur village on Sunday night. During the operation, officers discovered scattered human bones, a skull, trousers and a vest. The remains have not yet been conclusively identified through forensic examination.
Shahjahan told investigators that Rashidul had worked with Rafiq and Mozammel in a cucumber field several days before his disappearance. According to the father’s account, Rafiq received Tk500 as payment for the work, while Rashidul was allegedly given only Tk100. Shahjahan further alleged that Rafiq used part of his earnings to purchase and consume yaba.
The situation reportedly deteriorated after Rashidul’s mobile phone stopped working and he sought payment of money he believed was still owed to him. An argument allegedly followed. According to the account provided by the family, the dispute eventually escalated, with the three men allegedly strangling Rashidul with a towel before taking his body into the jungle.
Police, however, have not yet confirmed this version as the established motive or sequence of events.
Zikraul Islam, sub-inspector at Phulpur police station and the investigating officer in the case, said preliminary questioning had produced information suggesting that Rashidul was strangled. He also said the suspects had given inconsistent accounts at different stages of questioning, meaning investigators were still working to establish exactly what happened.
The recovered bones are expected to be sent to the mortuary of Mymensingh Medical College for post-mortem examination and DNA testing. The forensic examination is expected to help establish the identity of the remains conclusively and provide further evidence about the circumstances surrounding Rashidul’s death.
The three arrested suspects are being processed for presentation before the court after questioning. Investigators are also expected to examine the alleged ransom calls, the mobile phone records and the suspects’ movements around the time Rashidul disappeared as they seek to establish a clear account of the incident.
