18 bodies recovered from rivers in 8 days

Postogola bridge in the capital. River police recovered the floating body of a woman from the Buriganga River beneath the bridge last Thursday.

Police said that between 14 May and last Wednesday, the bodies of 17 more people were recovered from rivers across the country. Altogether, 18 bodies were recovered from rivers over the eight-day period.

The woman whose body was recovered from the Buriganga River on Thursday could not be identified. According to river police, the woman jumped into the river from Postogola Bridge that afternoon.

Boatmen on the river witnessed the incident and informed the river police outpost at Hasnabad. Later that night, the body was recovered and sent to the morgue of Sir Salimullah Medical College in Old Dhaka for an autopsy.

Abdullah Al Mamun, superintendent of police for the Dhaka region river police, told Prothom Alo that no injury marks were found on the woman’s body.

She was estimated to be between 50 and 60 years old. She was wearing a red-and-black printed cotton sari and a navy blue blouse. An unnatural death case has been filed with South Keraniganj Police Station over the incident.

Earlier on Thursday, a press release sent by the media wing of the River Police Headquarters said that 17 bodies had been recovered from rivers across the country between 14 and 20 May.

According to a press release issued by the Naval Police Headquarters, murder cases were filed over the recovery of three bodies and unnatural death cases over the recovery of 11 bodies between 14 and 20 May.

However, the statement did not provide any information regarding the remaining three bodies. It also did not mention from which rivers across the country the 17 bodies had been recovered.

When asked for details, Superintendent of Police Masuma Akter of the Naval Police Headquarters’ media wing told Prothom Alo that arrangements were being made to provide the necessary information beyond what was included in the press release. However, despite repeated attempts, she could not be reached afterwards.

Several responsible officials of the Naval Police, from superintendent level to additional deputy inspector general, were also contacted, but no detailed information could be obtained.

Later, an official from the media wing of the Naval Police Headquarters told Prothom Alo that most bodies are usually recovered from rivers in the Dhaka, Narayanganj and Barishal regions.

The Naval Police operate across 11 regions covering the country’s rivers. At the end of each week, information on body recoveries and various operations is released through press statements.

The Naval Police press release also said that a total of 96 cases were filed following various operations conducted on waterways between 14 and 20 May.

These included three murder cases, 11 unnatural death cases, 63 cases under the Fisheries Act, 13 cases over reckless navigation, one case under the Sand Quarry Act, one narcotics case, one robbery case, one abduction case, one extortion case and one case under the Special Powers Act.

During the same period, operations carried out on different rivers led to the seizure of 23,173,675 metres of illegal fishing nets, 2,089 kilograms of fish, 199,500 bagda shrimp fry and 490 kilograms of jelly-injected shrimp.

In addition, cases were filed in naval courts against 104 bulkheads for lacking valid documents, and two dredgers were seized. A total of 302 people were arrested during this time on allegations of involvement in various crimes.