A sand businessman was found dead in Bangladesh’s Brahmanbaria district six days after he went missing, with his body discovered tied to the submerged section of a wooden boat in the Titas River.
The victim, identified as 40-year-old Mukbul Hossain, was recovered on Sunday afternoon from the Mirpur area of Bancharampur upazila by a diving team from the Narayanganj River Fire Station. His body was found beneath a sunken wooden boat, secured with rope to the lower section of the vessel.
Mukbul was the son of the late Mon Mia Bepari and a resident of Pathamara village in Chalimabad union of Bancharampur. He is survived by a son and a daughter. He was also a partner in a dredger business involved in sand extraction from the Titas River.
According to police, family members and local residents, Mukbul went missing from the dredger shortly after 10pm on Tuesday. His mobile phone was subsequently found switched off. Relatives and local people searched the river and surrounding areas but were unable to locate him.
On Thursday, Mukbul’s cousin Shafiqul Islam filed a general diary (GD) with Bancharampur Police Station reporting his disappearance.
Another partner in the dredger business, Rubel Mia, also went missing from the same area on the same day. The simultaneous disappearances heightened concern among local residents.
Rubel was eventually found alive at around 10pm on Saturday, approximately 100 to 150 feet west of the area where the two men had been working. He was reportedly unwell at the time and was initially taken to Bancharampur Upazila Health Complex. He was later transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for further treatment, where he remains under police guard.
As efforts to locate Mukbul continued, the Fire Service and Civil Defence were informed. A diving team from the Narayanganj River Fire Station began a search operation in the Titas River in the Mirpur area at about 8am on Sunday.
After around five and a half hours of searching underwater, the divers located Mukbul’s body at approximately 1.30pm. The body was found tied with rope to the lower part of a wooden boat lying beneath the water. It was subsequently recovered and sent to the morgue at Brahmanbaria General Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
The rescue operation was led by Narayanganj River Fire Station leader Mohammad Harunur Rashid, with divers Ashiq Mahmud and Delwar Hossain taking part.
Mukbul’s elder brother, Babul Mia, said the family had been unable to contact him since around 10pm on Tuesday. They began searching for him soon afterwards and formally reported his disappearance on Thursday.
Babul alleged that Rubel was responsible for his brother’s death. He also said that, before Rubel himself disappeared, Rubel had repeatedly told them that Mukbul had gone to Dhaka. According to Babul, Rubel went missing after midnight on Thursday, shortly after the family had filed the GD, before returning to a house near the dredger on Saturday night.
The allegation against Rubel has not been independently established. He has not yet been questioned by police because he is receiving treatment in hospital.
Mohammad Harunur Rashid, the Fire Service official leading the rescue operation, said the body was recovered from beneath the boat with rope attached to an iron angle on the lower section.
Bancharampur Police Station officer-in-charge Mohammad Yachin said investigators believe Mukbul may initially have been tied to the wooden boat before the vessel was submerged. He said the boat may have been weighed down with stones and pushed underwater.
Police also confirmed that Rubel was found alive between 100 and 150 feet west of the location where Mukbul’s body was recovered. Investigators plan to question him once his condition allows.
The circumstances surrounding Mukbul’s disappearance and death remain under investigation. The post-mortem examination and further questioning of those involved are expected to help investigators establish how he died and determine who was responsible.
