Fear grips residents of Barguna following the brutal killings of two individuals in one night, with their relatives particularly anxious.
Neither the police nor the victims' families have yet unearthed the motive behind the murders on Tuesday night of Miraj Munshi, 45, from Bawalkar village in Bodorkhali union of Barguna Sadar upazila, who ran an electronics business in the area, and Montu Chandra Das, 35, from Koiratala in Barguna Municipality, who worked at a poultry shop in a local market,
Locals have been demanding the highest punishment for those responsible and increased security in the area.
According to the police, unidentified assailants killed them under cover of darkness at night.
Police and local sources reported that Miraj had been hacked to death in an abandoned field in Kumarkhali village.
Villagers discovered his body while working in the field on Wednesday morning and informed the police, who later recovered the body and sent it to the morgue.
Miraj's mother, Helena Begum, said: "I last saw my son at a neighbour's shop at around 9pm. He told me to go home, saying he would return later. When he did not come back at night, I assumed he had stayed at the shop. But in the morning, I
heard that he had been brutally killed.
“What did my son do to deserve such a fate? I demand justice for his murder."
His grieving wife, Sumi Begum, said they had three young children.
“My husband usually returned home by 11pm or midnight, but that night, he did not. I did not have a phone to check on him. In the morning, I woke up to the news of his death. Now, where will I go with my children? We do not know why or who did this to him – he had no enemies."
Mizanur Rahman Kasemi, president of Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Barguna chapter, condemned the killings. "Such incidents are unacceptable in our community. The perpetrators must be brought to justice and security measures must be strengthened,” he told this reporter.
Bodorkhali Union Parishad Chairman Matiur Rahman Raja, a relative of Miraj, said: "I saw Miraj at the shop at around 9pm. The next morning, I heard he had been murdered.
“We do not know who did this, but they must be arrested. I do not want to see such incidents in my union again."
Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Md Abdul Halim said it appeared that sharp weapons had been used in the attack.
“The motive remains unclear, but we have sent the body for an autopsy and are investigating the case. We will bring those responsible to justice," he added.
Meanwhile, police recovered Montu Das’s body from a bush in Kalibari on Wednesday morning.
Relatives suspect the killing was linked to a legal dispute.
Montu had filed a case a week ago over the rape of his seventh-grade daughter.
The key accused in the case was in jail, leading relatives to speculate that his associates might have targeted Montu in retaliation.
Family members found his body after hearing his phone ringing near a pond behind the house at around 1am on Wednesday.
They discovered him covered in mud, his clothes wet and his hands bearing bite marks.
Upon receiving a 999 emergency call, police arrived and sent the body to the hospital morgue.
Additional SP Halim said police were investigating the family’s claims and other possible motives and working to uncover the truth behind the killing.
