A total of 288 murders were recorded across the ten districts of Khulna division during the first ten months of the year, spanning January to October. Jashore topped the regional homicide chart with 61 killings, followed by neighbouring Bagerhat with 40. Yet nationwide concern and public outrage remain overwhelmingly focused on Khulna district, which ranks fourth on the list, according to crime statistics released on Saturday, 14 November, by the office of the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Khulna Range.

Police officials noted that despite Bagerhat holding the second-highest murder toll in the division, the district has attracted remarkably little public uproar compared with Khulna. Within Khulna district’s police jurisdiction alone, 36 murders took place during the ten-month period. That figure excludes another 36 killings recorded across the eight police stations under the Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP), as metropolitan jurisdictions operate separately from the Range Police.

The district-wise breakdown of murders recorded under the Khulna Range Police from January to October is detailed below:

While killings and extortion in Khulna dominate public debate, law enforcement data indicates that severe crimes against women and children across the division are being largely overshadowed. Between January and October, 978 women and children suffered abuse and repression, including 215 children. During the same timeframe, 302 women and children were raped, among whom 93 were children. Police confirmed that cases were lodged in connection with these offences and numerous suspects have been arrested.

Alongside violent crime tracking, regional law enforcement seized 125 illegal firearms and 224 rounds of ammunition over the ten-month span. The recovered arsenal comprised 43 one-shooter guns, 27 foreign pistols, 20 standard guns, 14 pipe guns, five local pistols, five local revolvers, four foreign revolvers, five air guns, one double-barrel gun, and one other unspecified firearm.

Ground realities across individual districts reveal distinct patterns of criminal activity. In Khulna, relentless extortion has forced many traders to shutter their businesses and relocate. Fear has gripped the medical community as well; eleven doctors have reportedly left the country so far this year after receiving extortion demands ranging from Tk 1 crore to Tk 2 crore. Shootings frequently occur along the border areas separating different police stations, enabling gunmen to strike in one jurisdiction and slip effortlessly into another.

In Bagerhat, street crime and grim discoveries along remote boundaries pose growing challenges. Residents carrying cash have increasingly fallen victim to muggers, with several high-profile snatching incidents reported over the past two months. At the same time, sack-bound corpses of men and women have repeatedly turned up in isolated border areas across various police stations in the district. In the latest such incident, police recovered the sack-bound body of a young woman in Rampal upazila on 13 November.

Addressing the regional crime landscape, Asif Iqbal, Additional Superintendent of Police and Media Focal Person at the Khulna Range DIG Office, acknowledged the disparity between statistical reality and public perception. “Jashore sits at the top of the murder list in the division, yet the discussion and criticism centre on Khulna,” he said.

He explained that Range Police hold regular coordination meetings where investigating officers are strictly instructed to maintain 100 per cent quality when submitting probe reports. Thorough investigations, he noted, prevent suspects from securing immediate bail in court. However, in certain instances, accused criminals still obtain bail quickly, walk free, and return to the streets with greater recklessness. Anti-terror drives remain underway across the division to apprehend wanted offenders, he added.