Police have recovered the body of a 43-year-old businessman from beneath the soil beside a ground-floor room of a five-storey building in Lalbagh, Dhaka, two days after he went missing.

The deceased was identified as Sheikh Wasim Rony. Police initially suspect that he was killed following a dispute over a Tk3 lakh loan taken at interest. Mohammad Masum Chowdhury has been detained in connection with the incident.

Lalbagh police began an operation at the building on BC Das Street at around 11.30pm on Thursday. After several hours of searching, officers dug through the soil beside the ground-floor section of the building and recovered Wasim’s body at around 5.30am on Friday.

The body was later sent to the mortuary at Dhaka Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Members of the Criminal Investigation Department’s crime scene unit and the Detective Branch were also present during the operation.

According to relatives, Wasim was involved in business. Masum, who has been detained, was involved in the imitation jewellery trade. His wholesale workshop was located on the ground floor of the same building beside which Wasim’s body was found.

Masum’s brother-in-law said Masum had borrowed Tk3 lakh from Wasim around eight months ago. Under the arrangement, he was supposed to pay Tk35,000 a month against the loan. A dispute later developed over repayment of the principal amount, according to the relative.

He said Wasim went to Masum’s business premises at around noon on 8 September to demand repayment. An argument reportedly broke out between the two over the money. During a subsequent scuffle, Masum allegedly punched Wasim in the head, causing him to fall unconscious, the brother-in-law claimed.

He said he later learnt from police that Wasim had allegedly been buried beneath the soil beside the building.

Wasim’s brother-in-law, Murad Hossain, said the family had been in contact with him on 8 September. They had learnt that Wasim was expected to receive a cheque that day as repayment of the Tk3 lakh. His mobile phone, however, was found switched off after noon.

The family then began searching for him in different places and tried to contact people who had business dealings with him. At one stage, they went to Masum’s home and spoke to his wife. According to Murad, she said she did not know what had happened to Wasim, although she told the family that he had visited the house and later left.

After failing to locate him, the family lodged a missing-person complaint with Lalbagh Police Station. Police began investigating the disappearance and subsequently obtained information suggesting that Wasim had been killed and his body concealed beneath soil beside the ground-floor section of a building.

Officers later conducted an operation at the location and recovered the body.

Murad alleged that eight sacks of soil had been brought to the area to conceal Wasim’s body. He also claimed that Wasim’s hands and feet had been tied before he was buried. Police are investigating these allegations as part of the wider inquiry.

“My sister’s husband has been killed. We are worried about what will happen to my sister and the family. We want a proper investigation and the maximum punishment for whoever is responsible,” Murad said.

Police have yet to establish the exact circumstances of Wasim’s death. The nature of any injuries, how he died and the precise cause of death are expected to become clearer after the post-mortem examination and further investigation.

Lalbagh Division Deputy Commissioner of Police Talebur Rahman confirmed the recovery. He said relatives had reported Wasim missing after he disappeared on 8 September, prompting police to launch an investigation.

According to the DCP, information obtained during the investigation led officers to the area beside the ground-floor section of the accused’s business premises, where the missing man’s body was recovered from beneath the soil.

Masum Chowdhury has been detained in connection with the case. Police are investigating whether anyone else was involved, the actual motive behind the incident and the circumstances leading to Wasim’s death.

The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, while further legal proceedings will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.