Two shot dead in Khulna, seven murders in 12 days

The bodies of two young men with gunshot wounds have been recovered in Khulna. Police recovered the bodies from the Singher Char area of Aichgati Union in Rupsa Upazila around 12:30pm on Monday.

With this, seven murders have taken place in Khulna city and district in the past 12 days. Among the victims was a leader of the Khulna city Tanti Dal. In addition, five people were shot during the same period, including three current and former leaders of Jubo Dal.

In total, 75 people have been murdered in various ways, including shootings and attacks with sharp weapons, in Khulna city and district so far this year, as of 1 November.

Local people first spotted a body lying on a char in the Atharobanki River in Rupsa Upazila of Khulna around noon on Monday. Later, as the water level dropped during low tide, they spotted another body at the same location. On information, police went to the spot and recovered the bodies with the help of local residents.

Police said one of the deceased was Mehedi Hasan, 35, son of Abdullah from the Rajapur area of Rupsa. He had previously worked as a boatman at Jailkhana Ghat. The other deceased was identified as Rezaul Karim, 30.

According to preliminary police information, Mehedi and Rezaul were active members of the criminal group ‘B-Company’, formed by Roni Chowdhury, also known as Grenade Babu, a notorious top criminal in Khulna's underworld. Both men had gunshot wounds on their bodies.

Masum Khan, officer-in-charge (OC) of Rupsa Police Station, told Prothom Alo that Mehedi and Rezaul had both been shot dead. Police suspect that their bodies were dumped in the river after the killings. Mehedi had a gunshot wound above his eye, near his eyebrow. Rezaul had gunshot wounds below his chin and on his back. The motive behind the killings is being investigated. Both were reportedly active members of the criminal gang ‘B-Company’.

Abdullah, Mehedi's father, came to the scene after hearing that his son's body was lying on the river char. He told journalists there that Mehedi lived separately and that he had little contact with his son.

Earlier, on Sunday evening, Humayun Kabir, joint convener of the Khulna City Tanty Dal, was murdered at his business establishment inside a restaurant in the Rayermohol area under Aranghata Police Station in Khulna city. Miscreants hacked him to death. On Saturday night, police recovered the bloodied body of a young man from a road in the Lobonchora area of the city. According to police, miscreants hacked him to death and left his body on the road.

Between the night of 26 October and the afternoon of 27 October, three shooting incidents took place in Khulna. In two separate locations in Batiaghata Upazila, two former Jubo Dal leaders were injured in shootings. Another employee of a private organisation was shot in Khulna city.

On 25 October, a person was beaten to death in the area under Sonadanga Police Station in the city. On 24 October, miscreants shot dead college teacher Dhananjay Kundu, also known as Akash Kundu, in the Gachhtala area of South Tutpara. On the same morning, Jubo Dal leader Ramim Biswas was injured in a shooting by miscreants in Terokhada Upazila.

Besides, a young man was shot dead in the East Baniakhamar area of the city on the morning of 22 October. Later that evening, a housewife was shot dead in the Jinnahpara area of the city.

According to police, most of these murders were linked to arms and drug trading, control over extortion, previous enmity and disputes among criminal groups.