Police in Khulna have recovered the bullet-ridden bodies of two young men from the Atharobeki River in Rupsha upazila. Law enforcement personnel retrieved the floating remains at around 11:30 AM on Monday from the Singher Char area, situated directly opposite Rupsha Government College. Initial police investigations suggest that the victims were shot dead elsewhere before their bodies were dumped into the river.
The deceased have been identified by police and local residents as 35-year-old Mehdi Hasan Sohag and 30-year-old Rezaul Karim, also known as Alamin. According to police statements, both men were active members of ‘B Company’, a notorious local criminal gang operating in Khulna. Physical examinations revealed multiple gunshot wounds on both victims; Sohag sustained a bullet wound beside his eye, whilst Alamin suffered gunshot injuries beneath his chin and across his back.
Sohag hailed from Rajapur village within Rupsha upazila, where his father, Mohammad Abdullah, formerly worked as a boatman at the local Jailkhana Ghat before Sohag became entangled in organised crime. Detailed background information regarding Alamin’s family remains unconfirmed.
Local eye-witnesses reported seeing a single body floating near Singher Char on Sunday morning. However, as the tide receded later in the day, two bodies became visible lying side by side in the shallow water. One victim was dressed in a shirt and denim trousers, while the other wore a t-shirt with denim trousers. Local villagers subsequently alerted the authorities and assisted in identifying the men.
Rupsha Police Station Officer-in-Charge Masum Khan confirmed that both bodies bore multiple gunshot marks, estimating that the killings took place within the preceding 24 hours. He added that investigators are currently examining whether internal rivalries within the ‘B Company’ syndicate triggered the fatal shootings.
The discovery follows a sharp escalation in violent crime across the district. Just days prior, on Saturday night at around 11:00 PM, 35-year-old Shahidul Islam Colin was hacked to death by assailants on Kashemia Jame Mosque Road in the Labanchhara area. The following evening, Syed Humayun Kabir, a local Tanti Dal leader, was killed in a similar hacking attack behind the Rayermahal Big Mosque. Police have arrested one suspect, Siddique Sheikh, in connection with Kabir’s murder.
These latest deaths bring the total number of homicides recorded across Khulna metropolitan area and district to 75 within the first 10 months of the year, sparking widespread anxiety among local residents over deteriorating law and order.
