The body of Tarek Ahmed was recovered at around 8.30pm on Tuesday, 27 October, following information provided by Sahel, according to police. During preliminary questioning, Sahel reportedly confessed to killing his friend over the phone.
Tarek was the son of Mahabbat Ullah, a resident of Choushatpur village in the Sadar Union of Nabiganj upazila. Sahel, the son of Nuruzzaman, came from the same village. The two had been childhood friends and had recently travelled to Fulbari village in Lakhai to work as labourers on a building construction project.
Tarek went missing at around midday on 21 October. After failing to find him, his family searched several places, including Sahel’s home, but received no information about his whereabouts. On 25 October, Tarek’s father filed a general diary (GD) with Nabiganj Police Station to report his son’s disappearance.
As the search continued, Sahel’s behaviour reportedly raised suspicions among family members and local residents. When he returned home on Tuesday afternoon, villagers detained him and informed the police. Officers subsequently took him into custody for questioning.
According to the account given to police, Sahel allegedly attacked Tarek with a dao, a traditional cutting blade, while he was asleep on the night of 22 October. He reportedly intended to take Tarek’s iPhone.
Following the killing, Sahel allegedly took the phone and later sold it for Tk 15,000, despite its reported value of around Tk 50,000. He then concealed Tarek’s body in a pond in Fulbari village before leaving the area.
Acting on information provided by Sahel, a police team from Nabiganj recovered Tarek’s body from the pond in Lakhai. The recovery brought an end to the family’s week-long search for the missing young man.
The case has raised concern in the local community, particularly because the suspect and victim had reportedly been friends since childhood. The circumstances surrounding the killing, the alleged sale of the phone and the concealment of the body are now matters for police investigation.
Abul Hossain, officer-in-charge of Nabiganj Police Station, said the body had been recovered from a pond in the Fulbari area of Lakhai on the basis of information provided by Sahel. He added that the suspect had initially admitted to the killing.
The officer said further legal action would be taken after a case was formally filed and the incident investigated.
Police are expected to examine the circumstances of the death and gather evidence as part of the investigation. Sahel’s reported confession forms part of the preliminary inquiry; the allegations will need to be established through the legal process.
