Police have recovered the body of a 16-year-old schoolgirl who had been missing for two days in Mirzaganj, Patuakhali. The body of Mosammat Ishrat Jahan Juthi was found in a dry pond beside a betel-leaf plantation near her home in the Dakshin Ghataker Andua village on Thursday morning, 5 November.
Juthi was the daughter of Md Jamal Howlader, a resident of the same village. She was a Year 10 student at Subidkhali R. E. Pilot Government Secondary School.
According to her family, Juthi left home on Tuesday morning, intending to attend an examination at her school. However, she failed to return at the expected time, prompting her family to begin searching for her. As the hours passed without any information about her whereabouts, their concern grew.
Between 4pm and 5pm on Tuesday, her mother visited Subidkhali school to enquire about her daughter. She spoke to teachers and students, who informed her that Juthi had not attended school to sit the examination that day. This raised further concerns about her disappearance.
The family subsequently searched various places in the surrounding area and contacted people who might have information about her whereabouts. When these efforts proved unsuccessful, they submitted a written missing-person complaint to Mirzaganj Police Station.
Juthi’s father, Md Jamal Howlader, said that a woman living near their home had initially found one of his daughter’s shoes after she went missing. The discovery prompted further concern, although the family was still unable to locate her at the time.
On Thursday morning, Jamal returned to the area with the woman to identify the exact spot where the shoe had been found. During their search near the betel-leaf plantation, they discovered Juthi’s body inside a dry pond. The discovery brought the family’s two-day search to a tragic end.
After receiving the information, police officers went to the scene and recovered the body.
Mirzaganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Touhiduzzaman confirmed the recovery. He said the police had visited the location after being informed about the incident and were investigating to establish the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death.
According to the officer, the actual cause of death has not yet been determined. The investigation is under way, and the authorities will take appropriate legal action once the inquiry has been completed.
The recovery of the teenager’s body so close to her home has raised concerns among local residents. Her disappearance, the discovery of her shoe and the subsequent recovery of her body are among the circumstances that investigators will need to examine.
At this stage, however, the circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear. The police investigation is expected to establish how she died and whether anyone was involved in the incident.
