The 50-year-old man whose body was recovered from the Dhaka Elevated Expressway had been returning to Gazipur after selling a piece of land in his village to finance his daughter’s wedding, according to his family. Relatives said he was carrying around Tk 500,000 in cash when he disappeared during his journey from Jamalpur.
The deceased was identified as Ismail Hossain, son of Jalal Uddin of Jalalabad village in Jamalpur Sadar upazila. His relatives identified his body at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Saturday after police informed the family about the recovery.
Ismail had travelled to his village several months earlier, where his mother and elder sister live. His family said he had sold about 11 decimals of land for Tk 1.05 million to meet the expenses associated with his only daughter Sharmin’s wedding. He had planned to return to Gazipur with the remaining money and finalise the wedding date and arrangements with his family.
According to his son Hasan, Ismail used part of the proceeds to repay an earlier debt of Tk 200,000 and spent some of the money on building a house in the village. He was then carrying about Tk 500,000 in cash, along with some newly purchased goods, when he set out for Gazipur.
Hasan said his father left Jamalpur at around 3.30am on Thursday, intending to travel to Gazipur. At about 11pm, Ismail reportedly spoke to him by telephone and said that he expected to arrive the following morning.
The family was expecting him to reach the Jirani area of Gazipur. His son Russel went there in the morning and repeatedly attempted to contact him, but Ismail’s telephone was switched off. Concern grew when he failed to arrive as expected.
The family was subsequently informed that police in Banani had contacted the authorities in Jamalpur. Relatives then travelled to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where they identified Ismail’s body.
Police recovered the body from the elevated expressway on Friday morning. At the time, Ismail’s mouth had been covered with adhesive tape. He was wearing a blue shirt resembling the uniform commonly worn by auto-rickshaw drivers, along with a lungi.
His mobile phones and the cash he had reportedly been carrying were not found, according to his family. Hasan said his father had both an Android handset and a basic button phone.
Police established his identity through fingerprints, which were checked against information held in the national identity database. Investigators are now examining how Ismail reached the elevated expressway and whether he was taken there after being attacked elsewhere.
A sub-inspector of Banani Police Station said investigators suspect Ismail may have been strangled before his body was transported in a vehicle and abandoned on the expressway. Police are collecting and examining closed-circuit television footage from the area in an attempt to trace the vehicle and establish the movements of those involved.
The presence of extensive security-camera coverage on the elevated expressway could prove significant to the investigation. However, investigators have yet to establish the exact circumstances in which Ismail’s body was brought to the roadway or determine who was responsible for his death.
Ismail had previously worked as a security guard at Delta Spinning Mills. He left the job about nine months ago because of illness. Despite leaving employment, he continued to live in the Kashimpur area of Gazipur with his wife, two children and daughter-in-law.
About four months ago, however, he returned to his ancestral home in Jamalpur, where he stayed with his mother and elder sister. His recent journey to Gazipur was therefore particularly significant for the family, as he was returning with the money needed to arrange his daughter’s marriage.
Police said the body would be handed over to the family after the post-mortem examination. The investigation is continuing, with officers focusing on CCTV recordings, possible vehicle movements and the missing cash and mobile phones. Determining where Ismail disappeared during his journey and reconstructing his final movements are expected to be central to establishing the circumstances surrounding his death.
