Body of Bangladeshi recovered beside barbed wire at Akhaura border

The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has recovered the body of a Bangladeshi teenager named Shakil (14) from beside the barbed wire fence at the Akhaura border in Brahmanbaria. The body was in a half-decomposed state.

Around 2am on Saturday night, members of the BSF's Lankamura camp in Tripura recovered the body lying beside the barbed wire in the Sanmura border area and took it into their custody.

Shakil is the son of Malu Mia of Abdullahpur village in Akhaura. Family members said he had been missing since he left home late Wednesday night. Despite searching in various places and making announcements through loudspeakers, he could not be found.

Shakil's father Malu Mia said his daughter's gaye holud ceremony was held on Wednesday night. After the ceremony ended around 12:30am, Shakil returned home and went to sleep with his mother. A little later, he left the house again. As he did not return home after that, family members began searching for him.

Malu Mia said he received news through BGB on Saturday evening that his son was at the border. Later, he went to the border and saw the body. After communication between BGB and BSF, the BSF took the body away. He was not then sure when he would get the body back.

He further said Shakil was somewhat mentally unwell. He does not know how he reached the border area from home.

Commander of the BGB's Fakirmura camp, Niramoy Chakma, said the body was spotted by the BSF lying beside the barbed wire fence in the Sanmura area near border pillar 2022-9S of the Akhaura-Tripura section of the Bangladesh-India border.

After receiving news from the BSF on Saturday evening, members of the Fakirmura BGB camp went to the scene. Later, Akhaura Police Station Officer-in-Charge Zabed Ul Islam also arrived there with police members.

Senior officials of BGB and BSF communicated over the matter. As the process of identifying and recovering the body took until late at night, members of the Lankamura BSF camp took the body into their custody around 2am.

Captain of 25 BGB, Lieutenant Colonel Jabbar Ahmed, said it could not be immediately confirmed how the teenager reached the border area and how he died. The BSF took the body as it was found beside the barbed wire fence at the border. The body is scheduled to be handed over on Sunday afternoon after the autopsy.