On 23 August last year, river police recovered the bodies of a woman and a child from the Buriganga River. Due to decomposition, their fingerprints had been erased, making identification impossible. The bodies were later buried as unclaimed. However, the autopsy report revealed that both the woman and the child had been strangled to death.
Earlier, in October 2024, the headless body of a young man was recovered from the banks of the Shitalakkhya River in Narayanganj. Due to decomposition, the body could not be identified. After searching, relatives identified the body at the morgue based on tattoos on the body and the T-shirt he was wearing. He was identified as Zakir Hossain from Kaliganj, Gazipur. The autopsy report revealed that he had been killed with sharp weapons.
Not only the Buriganga and Shitalakkhya, but in the last five years (2021–2025), river police have recovered 2,064 bodies from various rivers across the country. Among the recovered bodies, cases of murder are more common. In addition, there are also cases of accidental deaths caused by falling into rivers and suicides by jumping into rivers.
River police officials and criminologists said that most of the recovered bodies are victims of homicide. To destroy evidence and avoid arrest, killers are dumping bodies in rivers to conceal the crime. Due to river currents carrying bodies away, criminals consider rivers a “safe place” for hiding bodies.
2,064 bodies recovered in 5 years
According to river police headquarters statistics, in the last five years river police have recovered 2,064 bodies (men, women and children) from rivers across the country.
Among them, males are in the majority. In these cases, 335 murder cases and 25 cases of suicide by jumping into rivers have been filed at various police stations. In addition, others died in incidents such as fishing, travelling, bathing, natural disasters, and boat accidents.
These cases have been recorded as unnatural death cases at various police stations. In murder cases filed at different police stations, a total of 85 people have been arrested. In 121 murder cases, final reports have been submitted as no one was found involved. The river police have submitted charge sheets in 56 cases, while 132 murder cases are still under investigation. In addition, 26 murder cases are being investigated by other agencies.
According to river police headquarters information, of the bodies recovered in the last five years, 1,425 bodies were identified, while 639 bodies could not be identified. The unidentified bodies were later buried as unclaimed by Anjuman Mufidul Islam. Photographs of all recovered bodies are kept at police stations. If someone later comes to the police station and identifies a body after burial, a case is filed accordingly after investigation, and the inquiry proceeds accordingly.
Increase in body recoveries
According to river police headquarters data, 318 bodies were recovered in 2021, 360 in the following year, 405 in 2023, 440 in 2024, and 541 in 2025.
The River Police has divided the country’s river routes into 11 regions: Dhaka region, Narayanganj, Chattogram, Chandpur, Barishal, Faridpur, Kishoreganj, Rajshahi, Tangail, Khulna and Sylhet regions.
Most bodies recovered in Dhaka and Narayanganj rivers
In the last three years (2023–2025), river police recovered the highest number of bodies—320—from rivers in the Dhaka region, followed by 193 from the Narayanganj region, and the lowest 14 from the Sylhet region. In addition, 148 bodies were recovered from Barishal region rivers, 145 from Chattogram, 122 from Rajshahi, 105 from Chandpur, 104 from Khulna, 99 from Faridpur, 72 from Kishoreganj, and 64 from Tangail regions.
River police officials said that in many incidents, before bodies float up, decomposition sets in and fingerprints are erased, while facial features are distorted, making identification difficult. In many cases, skeletons are also recovered from rivers. Due to lack of identification, even when autopsy reports confirm murder, it becomes difficult to bring killers under the law. In some cases, even after identification through various means, the cause of death cannot be determined due to decomposition. As a result, river police often struggle to identify recovered bodies.
How bodies are recovered
Most recently, on the morning of 16 May, river police recovered the body of a 25-year-old young man with his throat slit, floating in the Buriganga River under the Mohammadpur-Bashila Bridge area. The body was decomposed and his identity could not be established. He was wearing black three-quarter pants and a blue full-sleeve shirt. There were also marks of sharp weapon injuries on different parts of the body.
Sub-Inspector (SI) Alaul Haque of Bashila River Police Outpost said that the young man’s throat was cut with a sharp weapon, and injury marks were found on various parts of the body. The body could not be identified due to decomposition. It is believed that unidentified assailants killed him and dumped the body in the river to conceal the crime.
On 23 August last year, the bodies of a woman and a child were found floating in the Buriganga. Later, river police of Sadarghat Police Station recovered the bodies and sent them for autopsy to Sir Salimullah Medical College morgue in Old Dhaka. Due to decomposition and loss of fingerprints, the identities of the deceased could not be confirmed. Earlier, no one came to the morgue to claim the bodies. As the autopsy report revealed murder, river police filed a murder case at South Keraniganj police station.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sohan Rana of Sadarghat River police station told Prothom Alo that there was no clue in the murder of the woman and child. Therefore, the killers could not be identified. If identified, it would have been easier to uncover the mystery of the murder using information from relatives.
Due to lack of identification, there has been no progress in the investigation. The police have preserved DNA samples of both bodies. If anyone comes forward to identify the bodies, they will be matched. At the same time, missing reports filed at various police stations are being cross-checked.
On 8 October 2024, the headless body of a young man was recovered from among water hyacinths on the bank of the Shitalakshya River at Koyla Ghat in Kaliganj, Gazipur. Due to decomposition, fingerprints could not be taken to identify the body. Two days after being missing, the family went to Kaliganj Police Station to file a general diary (GD). Later, based on police information, the body was identified at the morgue of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College in Dhaka based on tattoos and clothing. DNA tests later confirmed Zakir Hossain’s identity.
The fourth investigating officer of the case, Sub-Inspector (SI) Nazrul Islam of Dhaka River Police, told Prothom Alo that the previous three investigating officers could not solve the mystery of Zakir’s murder. After taking over the investigation, he began working using the victim’s mobile call detail records (CDR).
Based on the last phone contact, a person named Kabir Hossain was arrested. On the same basis, two more individuals, Humayun and Ratan, were arrested. They were also friends of Zakir. Ratan confessed to the murder. Later, all three gave confessional statements in court. A charge sheet has been submitted against them.
Police officer Nazrul Islam said that Zakir was killed due to a dispute involving a woman, planned by Humayun, Ratan, and Kabir Hossain. According to the plan, Ratan called Zakir to a field in Kaliganj at night two days before the body was recovered and beat him to death. Then his head was severed with a sharp weapon and the headless body was dumped into the Shitalakkhya River. Zakir’s severed head was never recovered.
Former General Secretary of the Medicolegal Society of Bangladesh, Professor Sohail Mahmud, told Prothom Alo that most bodies recovered from rivers are swollen and decomposed, destroying evidence and making it difficult to determine the cause of death. In addition, fish and insects in the river consume parts of the bodies, destroying evidence further.
Additional Inspector General (AIG) of River Police Md Rezaul Karim told Prothom Alo that investigation findings show murders are linked to personal, family (marital conflict and extramarital affairs), drug trafficking, and property disputes. River police have successfully solved 65 per cent of murder cases.
Regarding higher body recovery in Dhaka and Narayanganj regions, he said these areas have high population density and heavy movement along waterways, resulting in higher crime rates.
Ensuring river security remains a major challenge
On the overall issue, several officials of the river police said that the country has 6,000 to 8,000 kilometres of waterways during the monsoon season, but this decreases to 3,000 to 4,000 kilometres in the dry season. Of this, regular water vessels operate on about 3,500 kilometres of waterways. Ensuring security across this vast river network is also a major challenge for the river police.
Chairman of the Department of Criminology at the University of Dhaka Rezaul Karim Shohag told Prothom Alo that hired killers, through well-planned operations, are carrying out murders and, under the cover of night, choosing rivers as safe places to conceal bodies. Killers are taking advantage of the low human movement along riverbanks.
He added that the points from which bodies are being dumped into rivers should be identified and brought under monitoring. At the same time, social awareness should be developed.