Police recovered the body of a 30-year-old man from a river in the Dipnagar area of Darussalam in the capital on Thursday morning after locals spotted it floating and informed authorities.
The deceased was identified as Md Shaheen, 30, an auto-rickshaw driver who lived with his family in Sunibir Housing in Adabor, while his ancestral home is in Sherpur.
Darussalam police said that on Tuesday night, three men were severely beaten by locals on suspicion of theft and then thrown into the river. Two of them went missing, including Shaheen.
However, Shaheen’s relatives alleged that a local youth gang led by Dipu attacked him over a longstanding dispute and killed him by throwing him into the river.
Darussalam Police Station Officer-in-Charge Rokibul Hossain said: “We were not aware of the incident during the public beating. After receiving the report, Shaheen’s body was recovered and sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College morgue for post-mortem. The exact cause of death will be determined after the autopsy.”
Shaheen’s companion Mosharraf, who managed to swim to shore, claimed: “Members of Dipu’s group beat and stabbed us before throwing us into the river. I was lucky to survive, but Shaheen could not make it.” Mosharraf’s family is from Bhola, while another companion remains missing.
Locals also said Shaheen had a longstanding conflict with Dipu, which may have triggered the attack. Police have detained several people and are investigating the case.
