The families of Zakir Hossain and Mizanur Rahman, whose bodies were recovered from a private car parked at Dr Sirajul Islam Medical College Hospital in Mouchak, Dhaka, have alleged that the deaths were murders.
Police, however, said no evidence of murder has been found so far and the investigation is ongoing.
On Monday, Ramna police recovered the two bodies from the car, which had been parked in the hospital’s basement.
The deceased have been identified as Zakir Hossain, 28, the driver of the vehicle and his relative Mizanur Rahman, both hailing from Chatkhil upazila in Noakhali.
They had reportedly come to Dhaka to take a 9-year old patient named Jubayer back home from the hospital.
Police said the private car was rented.
According to police, the car entered the hospital's underground garage at 5:35am on Sunday, as per the hospital's vehicle logbook. Since then, it remained parked in a corner of Basement-3 without any noticeable movement.
The incident came to light around 12:30pm on Monday when a security guard, while checking for vacant parking spaces, noticed two individuals inside the car.
After receiving no response despite repeated calls, he opened the door and found both men unresponsive.
Zakir was found in the reclined driver’s seat, while Mizanur was found lying on the seat behind him.
Being informed, Ramna thana police rushed to the spot and recovered the two bodies and sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.
Contacted on Tuesday afternoon, Inspector (Investigation) Tarequl Islam Tutul of Ramna Police Station told UNB that investigators are keeping all possibilities in mind, including both murder and accidental suffocation.
“We are yet to confirm the exact cause of death. The post-mortem report is awaited. If the autopsy suggests any signs of homicide, we will expand our investigation accordingly,” he said.
Hospital authorities said they are fully cooperating with law enforcement agencies.
Ramna police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Golam Faruq said an unnatural death case has been filed in connection with the incident.
If the autopsy report reveals evidence of murder, a formal murder case will be registered.
Relatives allege prior financial dispute
On Tuesday, at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) morgue, relatives alleged the killings were premeditated.
Zakir’s family said that two years ago, Zakir gave Tk25 lakh to a broker for a travel agency in Paltan to arrange his travel to the United States. The agency failed to send him abroad and did not return the money. The family said the money was supposed to be returned on Sunday. The next day, the bodies of Zakir and his friend were recovered.
Zakir’s father, Md Abu Taher, said Zakir had previously been assaulted for demanding the return of the money. They suspect those involved with the travel agency are connected to the killings.
Mizanur’s nephew said Mizanur ran a fish farm business and had no political involvement. Zakir drove a private car and often took Mizanur along. On Saturday night, they came to Dhaka from the village with the car owner and the owner’s brother-in-law. The brother-in-law left the country that night. The next day, Zakir and Mizanur were supposed to return after visiting a patient at the hospital. What happened afterwards remains unclear.
The car owner said he came to the hospital early Sunday to visit a relative undergoing treatment. He left alone later, but Zakir and Mizan remained in the car.
Police have sealed off the area where the car was found and collected CCTV footage from the hospital premises. A forensic team has also examined the vehicle and surrounding area.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Ramna Zone Deputy Commissioner Masud said the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and expert teams are investigating and CCTV footage is being analysed. Whether it was murder or something else will be clear after the autopsy and investigation are completed.
Meanwhile, Ramna police station Sub-Inspector (SI) Md Awlad said the bodies will be handed over to the families after the post-mortem. He said the autopsies are ongoing and once complete, the bodies will be released to the families.
