The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has conducted an extensive two-day search at Patenga Beach in Chittagong with the aim of retrieving the head of 61-year-old Md Hasan, who was reportedly murdered and dismembered by his family.
Throughout the operation, the deceased's daughter-in-law, Anar Koli, joined the PBI in their efforts. However, despite thorough searches on both days, the head remained unfound, as it was not in the location indicated by Anar Koli.
Anar Koli, who assisted the PBI in the investigation, told reporters: "I am guilty; have I ever claimed innocence to you? At that time, my emotions prevailed over reason… I did not act wisely. Even if I had not thought it through, I should not have gotten involved in such a heinous crime. Even without considering anyone else's words, I should have thought about my child once. I did not even think about my child.
"After the murder, they put my father-in-law’s body in a gunnysack. Then they dismembered the body that same night. At the time I was not at home. Later they called me to have dinner. They placed body pieces in a bag, asking me to dispose of it by throwing it into the sea. I later went to Patenga Sea Beach with my husband, Shafiqur Rahman, and discarded a portion of the body."
The investigating officer of the case, Chittagong PBI Inspector Elias Khan, said: "On September 21, at around 7am, Anar Koli and her husband, Shafiqur Rahman, also known as Jahangir, arrived in the Patenga Beach area and disposed of the severed head. Shafiqur, the younger son of the deceased, and his wife, Anar Koli, had been on the run since the incident. Anar Koli was arrested in Moheshkhali, Cox's Bazar, on Friday. She was produced in court on Saturday… the court put her on a three-day remand. Her remand period will end on Tuesday."
He added: "For the second consecutive day on Monday morning, we conducted an operation at Patenga Beach to find the severed head, along with Anar Koli. A 15-member PBI team was involved in the search. On the first day, we recovered the weapon used in the murder as indicated by her. However, the head has not been located yet. The operation will continue."
Assistant Commissioner AKM Mohiuddin of the PBI said: "On September 21, Patenga police discovered a luggage filled with eight body parts at Ghat no 12. The police filed a case against unidentified persons on charges of disappearance and murder. The PBI joined the police in the investigation. Through various efforts, including the use of technology, we successfully unravelled the mystery behind this murder."
Inspector Elias said: "After identifying the deceased, on September 23, his wife, Ara, and elder son, Mostafizur Rahman, were arrested. It was later confirmed they were connected to the case. On September 24, they produced in court, and a case for their arrest in the same matter was filed. A five-day remand application was submitted for further questioning and was approved by the court.”
“During the remand, the elder son confessed to his involvement in the murder under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and provided essential details, including the motive for the crime," he added.
Officials investigating the case said Md Hassan, a resident of Banshkhali upazila, reunited with his family two years ago after a 28-year separation. However, conflict arose when Hassan attempted to sell family-owned property, ultimately leading to his murder.
After his death, his body was cut into 10 pieces. Eight of these pieces, including his hands and feet, were discarded in the Ghat no 12 area under Patenga thana, while the middle part of the body, including the stomach, was disposed of in a canal on Akmal Ali Road. A portion of his head was found on Patenga Beach.