Bangladeshi student killed in Cyprus; ransom demanded even after burying body

Police in Cyprus have recovered the body of a 22-year-old Bangladeshi student, Shahriar Ahmed, also known as Emon, 10 days after he left home to join a new job in the Mediterranean island nation's city of Larnaca.

Officers recovered his decomposed body on Sunday from a burial site in the Kofinou area of Larnaca. His family had not heard from him since after 9:00 pm on 11 June.

From the night of his disappearance until shortly before police recovered his body on Sunday, unidentified individuals allegedly used Shahriar's mobile phone and WhatsApp account to demand a ransom of €35,000 (approximately Tk 5 million) from his father, Nasir Mia.

Shahriar Ahmed was the son of Nasir Mia, a Bangladeshi expatriate living in Greece, from Lochanpur village in Raipura upazila of Narsingdi district.

Shahriar was the eldest of three brothers. He had travelled to Cyprus on a student visa three months ago and lived in the Oroklini area of Larnaca.

Cyprus police arrested a 22-year-old Bangladeshi national, Shahin Babu, on Sunday on suspicion of involvement in Shahriar's murder.

According to Shahriar's relatives, citing information provided by the police, investigators recovered both Shahriar's buried body and the knife allegedly used in the killing based on information supplied by the suspect.

However, police have not confirmed which area of Bangladesh Shahin Babu comes from.

Quoting Cyprus police, family members of the deceased said that the perpetrators killed Shahriar on the very night he went missing. They allegedly stabbed him to death before burying his body.

During the investigation, police recovered Shahriar's mobile phone from the arrested suspect. During questioning, the suspect reportedly confessed to the murder.

Members of Shahriar's family said that he travelled to Cyprus on a student visa during the final days of Ramadan, around three months ago. While still in Bangladesh, he enrolled online at a university in Cyprus.

After reaching there, his family had to send him between Tk 40,000 and Tk 50,000 each month to cover his living expenses.

He had been trying to secure employment so that he would no longer need financial support from home.

Shahriar last spoke to his mother on the afternoon of 11 June. He told her, “I have arranged a job today. It's a night shift. I'm joining tonight. Please pray for me.”

He also informed his father, Nasir Mia, who lives in Greece, and his roommate, Raihan Mia, who is also from the same village and lives in Cyprus, about the new job.

Raihan advised him, “Send me your location when you get there.” He also asked Shahriar to contact him if he encountered any problems.

At 9:00 pm local time, after arriving at the workplace, Shahriar sent his location to Raihan via WhatsApp.

A short while later, Raihan replied with “Ok”, but the message was never marked as seen. Raihan assumed that Shahriar had become busy with work and did not think anything unusual had happened at the time.

However, at around 10:00 pm that night, a text message was sent to Shahriar's father, Nasir Mia, from Shahriar's WhatsApp number.

The message stated, “We have kidnapped your son. If you want him back, you must pay €35,000. If you pay, you will get your son back. If you do not, we will remove his eyes and kidneys and sell them.”

That same night, Nasir informed Raihan and other family members about the message. Initially, everyone assumed that Shahriar's WhatsApp account had been hacked.

Family members said that Shahriar did not return from work the following morning. Raihan then went to a police station and filed a report.

Police officers also visited the location that Shahriar had shared, but they could not find him there.

Meanwhile, Shahriar's WhatsApp account remained active online around the clock. The individuals using the account contacted the family every day and repeatedly demanded money.

Shahriar's brother, Noyon Ahmed, said, “When we realised that the police were unable to rescue Shahriar, we agreed to pay the ransom. After negotiations, we settled on Tk 500,000. On Sunday afternoon, we went to a bank to send the money. At that point, we requested an opportunity to speak with Shahriar just once. However, they refused. We then returned from the bank. At around 8:00 pm, we saw on Facebook that Cyprus police had recovered Shahriar's body. Raihan and others we know in Cyprus also informed us of the same news.”

Shahriar's mother, Papiya Begum, said in a tearful voice, “I want justice for those who killed my son. Please bring my son's body back to Bangladesh so that I can touch him one last time.”

Md Masud Rana, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Raipura said, “We have received reports that the body of Shahriar, a student from Raipura who went to Cyprus to study, has been recovered. However, neither the Cyprus embassy nor any other official channel has informed us of the matter so far. The victim's family has not contacted us either. If they seek assistance, we will take the necessary steps through the relevant ministry.”