Police have recovered the body of a 43-year-old businessman from beneath soil beside a ground-floor room of a five-storey building in Lalbagh, Dhaka, two days after he went missing.
The victim has been identified as Sheikh Wasim Rony. Police initially suspect that he may have been killed following a dispute over a Tk3 lakh loan taken at interest. Mohammad Masum Chowdhury, who runs an imitation jewellery business, has been detained in connection with the incident.
The recovery operation began at around 11.30pm on Thursday at a building on BC Das Street in Lalbagh. After several hours of searching, police dug through the soil beside the ground-floor section of the building and recovered Wasim’s body at around 5.30am on Friday.
The body was subsequently sent to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital mortuary for post-mortem examination. Members of the Criminal Investigation Department’s crime scene unit and the Detective Branch were also present at the scene as investigators examined the area and collected relevant evidence.
According to the victim’s relatives, Wasim was involved in business. Masum, the detained man, operated a wholesale imitation jewellery workshop on the ground floor of the same building beside which Wasim’s body was found.
Masum’s brother-in-law alleged that Masum had borrowed Tk3 lakh from Wasim around eight months ago. Under the arrangement, Masum was supposed to pay Tk35,000 every month against the loan. A dispute later developed between the two over repayment of the principal amount.
According to the brother-in-law, Wasim went to Masum’s business premises at around noon on 8 September to demand repayment. An argument reportedly broke out between the two men over the money. He claimed that during a subsequent scuffle, Masum punched Wasim in the head, causing him to collapse unconscious.
The brother-in-law said he later learnt from police that Wasim had allegedly been buried in the soil beside the building.
Wasim’s brother-in-law, Murad Hossain, said the family had been in contact with him on 8 September. They had learnt that a cheque was supposed to be handed over that day towards repayment of the Tk3 lakh. After noon, however, Wasim’s mobile phone was found switched off.
His disappearance prompted relatives to search for him in several places and contact people associated with his business. At one stage, they went to Masum’s home and spoke to his wife. According to Murad, she said she did not know what had happened to Wasim, but acknowledged that he had come to the house and later left.
When the family failed to locate him, they filed a missing-person complaint at Lalbagh Police Station. Police subsequently began investigating the disappearance and, during the course of the inquiry, obtained information suggesting that Wasim had been killed and his body concealed beneath soil beside a ground-floor section of the building.
Police then carried out the operation that led to the recovery of the body early on Friday.
Murad alleged that eight sacks of soil had been brought to the site to conceal the body. He also claimed that Wasim’s hands and feet had been tied before he was buried. These allegations have not yet been independently established, and investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding the death.
“My sister’s husband has been killed. We are now worried about what will happen to my sister and the family. We want a proper investigation and the maximum punishment for whoever is responsible,” Murad said.
Police said the exact cause of death cannot yet be confirmed. The nature of any injuries sustained by Wasim, the circumstances in which he died and the precise cause of death are expected to become clearer after the post-mortem examination and further investigation.
Lalbagh Division Deputy Commissioner of Police Talebur Rahman confirmed the recovery. He said Wasim’s relatives had lodged a complaint after he went missing on 8 September, following which police launched an investigation.
According to the DCP, information obtained during the investigation led police to the area beside the accused’s business premises, where the body of the missing businessman was recovered from beneath the soil.
Masum Chowdhury has been detained in connection with the case. Police are investigating whether anyone else was involved, what led to the incident and the full circumstances surrounding Wasim’s death. Further legal action will be taken as the investigation progresses.
