The body of a youth was recovered yesterday from a pond at Master Colony in Madaripur town, five days after he was reported missing.
The victim, Shamim Sardar, 16, from Gouranadi upazila of Barisal, used to live with his family in the town’s Stadium Road area.
Witnesses said Shamim fell into the pond and drowned on Friday night as police chased after a group of suspected stalkers. However, police claimed Shamim was chased by some local people.
“Locals chased after a group of five to seven stalkers on January 31. Later, police arrested two of them,” said Assistant Police Superintendent of Madaripur (circle) Abu Bakar Siddique.
Shamim’s family searched the pond on Tuesday with fishing nets, but failed to find his body. But around dawn yesterday, residents of the colony saw a dead body floating on the pond and informed the Madaripur Sadar police station.
Police recovered the body and sent it to the Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.
Meanwhile, Shamim’s mother, Yeasmin Begum, yesterday accused police of killing her son.
“Police drowned my son by chasing after him, or they killed him through torture and then threw him in the pond,” Yeasmin alleged. “I want justice.”
