Chandpur incident ‘not just a robbery, rather a planned murder’

The relatives of the victims who were killed in an attack on the MV Al-Bakhera, a fertilizer ship, in the Meghna River in Chandpur, claimed that the incident was just not a robbery incident, rather it was a planned murder.

They made the claim while receiving the bodies of the victims from Chandpur General Hospital. At this time, they were seen grieving.

Chandpur General Hospital authorities handed over the bodies of the victims to their relatives on Tuesday.

Earlier on Monday, five dead bodies and three critically injured people were recovered from a vessel on the Meghna river in Chandpur. Later, two of those injured died at a local hospital, raising the death toll to seven in the incident.

The deceased are - ship master Kibria, engine driver Salauddin, Sukani Aminul Munshi, greasers Sajibul, Azizul and Majedul Islam. The name of one of the deceased couldn’t be known. And the injured person is Jewel.

The nephew of the slain ship master, Golam Kibria, and the younger brother of the slain Sabuj came to the hospital to receive the bodies. They said that all the bodies had been hit on the head with a sharp weapon like a machete which looks like it was done by professional killers in a planned manner.

A relative of deceased Salahuddin said: “This is not just a robbery. I don’t see any reason to call it a robbery. In case of robbery, the mobile phones or cash belonging to the deceased would have been taken. But the killers did not take anything.”

Farid Ahmed Akhand, on-duty doctor at Chandpur General Hospital, said that the bodies were handed over to the relatives after the autopsy.

The naval police said that the ship was anchored in the Meghna River of Chandpur Sadar Police Station. Fertilizer was being transported on it.