DHAKA, Bangladesh — In the first 17 days of September, Bangladesh has recorded well over 100 killings nationwide. At least a dozen—and by some media tallies as many as a dozen and a half—bodies were pulled from rivers, underscoring a surge in violence that spans mob beatings, domestic murders, political clashes and contract-style killings.
On Sept. 16, schoolteacher Tasmin Ara Naz, 43, left home in the morning. Hours later, her body surfaced in the Ghaghat River, local outlet jagonews24.com reported. That same day in Manikganj’s Ghior upazila, villagers spotted the body of Rafiqul Islam, 38, a mosque imam missing for two days, floating in the Khirai River.
“This morning we found his body in the river. The matter is deeply tragic,” mosque committee president Billal Uddin told the Ittefaq, a prominent daily in Bangladesh. The repeated discovery of familiar neighbors dead in calm waterways has seeded shock and fear across rural districts.
Authorities say some cases point clearly to homicide. At the end of August, police recovered the headless, mutilated body of a young man from the Shitalakkhya River in Narayanganj—confirmed as a “brutal killing” with sharp-weapon wounds, according to Ittefaq. Fingerprints later identified the victim as Habib, 27.
Rivers turning into crime scenes
Since Sept. 1, local media have cataloged a string of bodies recovered from waterways around the country. On Sept. 1, an unidentified man, about 52, was found in the Kazibacha River in Khulna’s Batiaghata (Ittefaq).
On Sept. 13 in Ramu, Cox’s Bazar, residents discovered a young woman—about 22—snagged on a sand-dredger cable in the Bankkhali River (Daily Karatoa). Her body was too swollen to recognize. Police say they are leaning on fingerprint and DNA testing to establish identities and causes of death in such cases.
In just the first two and a half weeks of September, press reports count at least a dozen river recoveries. Some victims have been named; others remain anonymous until autopsy and lab results arrive.
The pattern stretches back through the year. River Police data indicate 301 bodies were retrieved January–July 2025, averaging 43 a month, up from 36 a month in 2024. In August alone, more than 40 bodies surfaced.
On Aug. 23, four corpses were pulled from Dhaka’s Buriganga River within hours: two bound bodies—a man (35) and a woman (30)—in Keraniganj’s Madaripur Ghat area, and a woman and a child found earlier near Mirerbagh (ntvbd.com).
Investigators said perpetrators tied 50-kilogram rice sacks to weigh the bodies down; the woman appeared strangled with a burqa sleeve, the child with a scarf. Four days later, on Aug. 27, River Police recovered the headless body later identified as Habib from the Shitalakkhya (The Daily Star).
River Police figures underscore that many waterway recoveries are not natural deaths. Of the 301 bodies found in the first seven months of 2025, police suspect homicide in at least 41 cases—about 14%—each recorded as a murder file (The Daily Star). Roughly 30% of victims remain unidentified; 92 of 301 January–July recoveries lacked confirmed identity, a gap that often thwarts prosecution.
Rivers used to conceal murders, police say
Law-and-order specialists warn criminals may be using rivers as dumping grounds to conceal evidence. Police officials acknowledge the trend and say more personnel and forensic capability are needed to stem it.
River Police Superintendent Dr. Manjur Morshed says criminals in Bangladesh are increasingly turning to rivers as a “safe strategy” to dispose of bodies, making investigations more difficult and delaying justice for victims’ families.
Speaking to The Voice, Morshed acknowledged that some deaths occur accidentally, such as from drowning or falling off boats and ferries. But in many recent cases, he said, the bodies recovered from rivers are believed to be victims of homicide.
“Compared to land, disposing of a body in a river makes it much harder to identify the killers,” Morshed said. “Bodies left in the water for a long time become disfigured, are damaged by aquatic creatures, and their tissues decompose. This renders fingerprints and other identification methods useless. Only DNA testing can establish identity, and that is both time-consuming and expensive.”
Unidentified bodies are buried by the charity Anjuman Mufidul, he noted. Morshed said the number of bodies retrieved from rivers has risen in recent months, and police investigations suggest most of them were victims of foul play.
“Hiding a body after murder is difficult,” he said. “But when a body is dumped in the river, it becomes even harder to catch the perpetrators.”
A grim tally beyond the waterways
The broader picture is equally stark. Government statistics show 2,616 murder cases filed nationwide January–August 2025 (The Business Standard)—an average of 327 a month, or roughly 10–12 killings a day, up from about 287 a month in 2024. By that pace, Sept. 1–18 alone could encompass around 150 homicides.
Recent examples span motives and geographies:
- In Bogura’s Shibganj, expatriate Idris Ali’s wife Rani Begum, 40, and their college-age son Imran, 18, were found hacked to death at home the morning of Sept. 16; police suspect night-time intruders (Prothom Alo).
- In Narayanganj city’s Fatullah, alleged teen-gang leader Nahiyan Azam Evan, 30, was killed in public on Sept. 7 by rival assailants (jagonews24.com).
- In Dhaka, turf and drug disputes have produced fatal attacks in Adabor and other zones (Prothom Alo).
- On Sept. 18 in Feni, a young man died after a mob beating over theft suspicions, prompting local protests (Sarabangla).
August’s violent snapshot
Media and rights groups say killings spiked in August, with mob lynchings a significant share:
- Mob violence: Human rights group Manobadhikar Sanskriti Foundation (MSF) logged 38 lynching incidents in August, with 23 killed and 43 seriously injured (Prothom Alo). Another monitor, Human Rights Support Society (HRSS), reported 25 lynching deaths (The Daily Star).
- Domestic and gender violence: HRSS counted at least 30 women killed in domestic attacks and three women/girls raped and murdered. In total, 159 women and girls suffered abuse; 64 rapes were recorded, including 33 minors (The Daily Star).
- Child killings: HRSS reported at least 17 children killed amid abuse and violence; 133 child-abuse cases overall.
- Attacks on journalists: On Aug. 7, journalist Asaduzzaman Tuhin, 38, was hacked to death in Gazipur. On Aug. 22, veteran journalist Bibhuranjan Sarkar was found dead on the Meghna River bank. HRSS tallied 33 incidents of journalist assaults in August affecting 96 journalists—triple July’s 19 incidents and 30 victims.
- Political violence: Various reports cite at least 49 August clashes, two killed and 549 injured. HRSS attributes 34 clashes to BNP internal feuds (two deaths), while BNP-Awami League confrontations also left two dead. Eight activists were killed by unknown assailants.
Comparisons with July 2025 are mixed: July saw more lynching incidents (51) but fewer deaths (16) than August’s 38 incidents, 23 deaths (Prothom Alo). Attacks on journalists surged in August. Analysts say law and order has deteriorated since last year’s change of government (The Diplomat).
Political backdrop and rights-group warnings
The violence unfolds under an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, in place since Aug. 5, 2024, following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Rights groups alleged widespread abuses after the transition.
The legal aid group Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) reported at least 318 deaths between Aug. 5–8, 2024, while the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Unity Council cited 2,010 incidents of murder, rape and other violence Aug. 4–20, including attacks on minority homes and businesses.
Activists say mobs aligned with interim authorities have targeted Awami League supporters, sometimes in the presence of security forces. The authorities have rejected sweeping accusations of politicized policing, while police say they investigate each case on its merits.
In interviews with The Voice, freedom fighter and artist Tajul Imam urged an end to impunity for attacks on Awami League supporters, alleging mobs “encouraged by the government” have assaulted institutions and individuals, at times in view of security forces.
Legal scholar Dr. S.M. Masum Billah said speech and safety for Awami League supporters have been curtailed, arguing that broad intimidation is fueling further crime.
Khulna Metropolitan BNP President S.M. Shafiqul Alam Mona said countless people have been killed since August 5 of last year. He warned that unless the situation improves urgently, it will not be possible to ensure people’s safety and security. He also pointed to shortcomings in police action. (Desh Rupantor)
Why the rivers? Evidence, anonymity and escape routes
Investigators say visible bindings, blunt-force or sharp-weapon injuries, and ligatures on necks trigger reclassification of waterway deaths from “unnatural” to homicide. The Aug. 23 Buriganga cluster, for example, showed clear signs of killing and disposal.
Yet decomposition, fragmentary remains and missing identities impede justice. The 30% unidentified rate recorded January–July—92 of 301 bodies—means many cases stall before suspects can be named or charged.
Social media alarm—and official reassurances
Riverside communities report heightened fear as recoveries mount. Social-media posts noted four bodies in six hours late last month at different points along the Buriganga, stoking anxiety in the capital.
Police counter that they are pursuing leads and cite investigative progress in the Shitalakkhya headless-body case, where technology helped confirm the victim and focus the hunt for suspects (Ittefaq).
