Local residents spotted the body of the child, identified as Abir, floating near the Madrasa Ghat adjacent to Mannan Haji’s Intersection in the Nilkhi area of Shibchar. They immediately alerted the authorities, prompting a joint team from the Shibchar Police Station and the local River Police to respond to the scene. Officers recovered the toddler’s body, completed an initial inquest report, and subsequently dispatched the remains to the Madaripur Sadar Hospital morgue for an autopsy.

The sequence of events began on the morning of 19 August, when police uncovered the body of the child’s mother, Shampa Akter, hidden amidst bushes near a roadside field in the Bakherkandi area of Madborchar Union. Shampa, originally from Lalpur in Natore district, had married Shahabuddin Howlader of Boro Meher village in Madaripur approximately three years ago.

Following the discovery of his daughter’s body, Shampa’s father, Chhamrul Islam, filed a murder case at Shibchar Police Station on 20 August. Armed with the formal complaint, a joint operational team comprising local police and members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-8) conducted a series of raids, culminating in the arrest of the primary suspect, Farooq Molla.

During police interrogation, Farooq confessed to subjecting Shampa Akter to sexual violence before murdering her. To eliminate witnesses and conceal evidence, he subsequently murdered her infant son and dumped his body into the currents of the Arial Khan River.

Officer-in-Charge of Shibchar Police Station, Kamal Hossain, confirmed that the toddler’s body has been sent for post-mortem examination. He added that law enforcement authorities are continuing to complete all necessary legal formalities to ensure a thorough prosecution of the accused.