The victim, identified as Nezam Uddin, had left home on Tuesday night to guard his paddy field against damage caused by wild elephants. His death has prompted a police investigation, with several teams working to identify and arrest those responsible.
Police recovered his body on Wednesday (28 October) from beside a road near Matabbar Bari, close to the Kalichhari Bridge in Mirerkhil, Rangunia Upazila.
Nezam Uddin was the son of Rafu Mia and lived in the sluice-gate area of Mirerkhil. He earned his living through various forms of manual labour, including working as a day labourer, farming and cutting trees.
According to police and local sources, Nezam went to his field on Tuesday night to protect the ripening rice from wild elephants. Such threats can put farmers under considerable pressure during the harvesting season, when damage to standing crops can affect their livelihoods. However, authorities have not established any direct connection between the elephant problem and the circumstances of Nezam’s murder.
When he failed to return home the following morning, members of his family went out to look for him. Their search ended in tragedy when they found his body lying on the road near Matabbar Bari. His hands had been severed at the elbows, indicating the brutal nature of the attack.
Mohammad Hilal Uddin Ahmed, officer-in-charge of South Rangunia Police Station, confirmed the killing. He said police had recovered the body, but the motive for the murder and the identities of those responsible remained unknown.
A Chattogram district police official said several teams from the district’s Detective Branch (DB) were working to identify and arrest the perpetrators. Senior police officers also visited the scene soon after receiving news of the incident.
Those who inspected the site included the Chattogram Superintendent of Police, the Additional Superintendent of Police responsible for industrial security and the Detective Branch, and the Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police for the Rangunia Circle, along with other relevant officials.
Investigation under way
Investigators are now working to establish what happened to Nezam after he left home to guard his field. The motive behind the killing has not been determined, and police have yet to identify any suspects publicly.
The investigation will need to establish whether the murder stemmed from a personal dispute, a confrontation or another motive. No evidence has so far been disclosed to support any particular explanation, and the circumstances surrounding the attack remain unclear.
The recovery of the body and the condition in which it was found are central to the investigation. Police are seeking to gather evidence that could help reconstruct the events leading to the killing and establish who was responsible.
For farmers, protecting crops from wildlife is an additional challenge during the period when rice is nearing harvest. Nezam’s death has brought renewed attention to the risks associated with safeguarding agricultural land, although investigators have not linked the killing directly to the presence of wild elephants.
Police have not provided further details about any arrests or disclosed a likely motive. The investigation remains ongoing as officers work to uncover the circumstances of the murder and bring those responsible to justice.
