Police have not yet determined whether the incident was a murder, suicide or the result of another cause.
Kajal was the son of the late Joban Ali and a resident of Kakiajor village in Dharmapasha upazila of Sunamganj district. After retiring from the Bangladesh Army around two years ago, he had been working as an accountant at a solar power project in his locality.
According to his family, Kajal left home on the morning of 7 October to withdraw money from a bank for the solar power project. He did not return, and his whereabouts remained unknown for the next two days. His family members could not confirm whether he had reached the bank or withdrawn the money before his disappearance.
The discovery of his body on Friday brought the search for the missing former serviceman to a tragic end.
Local residents said a man was grazing cattle near the banks of the Kangsha River at around 8am on Friday when he noticed a foul smell coming from a nearby area. He searched the surrounding vegetation and found Kajal’s body leaning against a tree branch in the jungle. He then informed other residents, who alerted the police.
Officers from Mohanganj Police Station subsequently arrived at the scene and recovered the body at around 9.30am.
The circumstances in which the body was found have prompted questions among Kajal’s relatives, particularly because a rope was wrapped around his neck and the body was positioned against a tree rather than hanging from it. His family suspects foul play, although no conclusive evidence has yet been reported to establish their allegation.
Kajal’s elder brother, Fazlul Karim Bulbul, described the incident as a planned murder and rejected the possibility that his brother had died by suicide.
“After leaving home on the morning of 7 October to withdraw money from the bank, Kajal never returned. We do not know whether the money was actually withdrawn from the bank. This could not have been a suicide. The body was positioned on a tree branch; it was not hanging,” Bulbul said.
He called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding his brother’s disappearance and death. The family wants the authorities to establish what happened to Kajal and ensure that anyone responsible is brought to justice.
Mohanganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Hafizur Islam Harun said no visible external injury marks had been found on the body during the initial examination. The deceased’s clothing also appeared to be in a normal condition, he added.
The OC said the body was being sent to the morgue at Netrokona Modern Sadar Hospital for a post-mortem examination to establish the cause of death.
According to the police, the post-mortem findings will help determine the circumstances in which Kajal died. Investigators will also need to examine the available evidence to establish whether the case involves homicide, suicide or another explanation.
Kajal’s disappearance after leaving home to withdraw money, followed by the discovery of his body in a riverside jungle, has left several questions unanswered. Investigators will need to establish how he reached the location, what happened during the two days he was missing and whether anyone else was involved in his death.
For now, the family’s allegations remain unproven, and the absence of visible injuries does not by itself establish how Kajal died. The post-mortem report and findings from the police investigation are expected to play a crucial role in clarifying the circumstances surrounding the retired army member’s death.
