Dismembered body of Customs member recovered 9 days after disappearance

Police have recovered the dismembered body of a member of the Customs Security Force from a pond in Fulbaria upazila, Mymensingh, nine days after he went missing. The body was found stuffed into three travel bags and a sack and dumped in the pond, law enforcement officials said.

The body was recovered around 4pm on Sunday (August 2) from a pond in the Soaitpur area of Enayetpur Union in the upazila. Fulbaria Police Station Inspector Moshiur Rahman confirmed the matter.

The deceased, Rakib Rayhan Talukdar (40), was the son of the late Siddik Talukdar of Soaitpur village in the upazila. He was serving as a sepoy in the Customs Security Force at Kamalapur in Dhaka.

Police said Rakib used to visit his home every Thursday and return to work on Saturday. He had been missing since leaving home on the afternoon of July 24. Family members searched for him in various places and filed a general diary (GD) at Fulbaria Police Station on July 27.

Investigators said after Rakib went missing, his caretaker Raju Mirza and three to four others mysteriously disappeared. During the investigation, the key ring of Rakib's motorcycle was recovered from the Anantapur Bajua River area, providing a new lead.

Inspector Moshiur Rahman said it is initially believed that Rakib was murdered, dismembered and the body parts stuffed into three travel bags and a sack before being dumped in the pond. Locals spotted a sack floating in the pond on Sunday afternoon and alerted police, who recovered the body.

The body has been sent to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy, he added.

Police said the motive behind the killing has not yet been confirmed. Investigation is ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident. Raids are also underway to arrest Raju Mirza and other suspects.