Police in Bangladesh’s south-western district of Khulna have recovered the bullet-ridden body of a 35-year-old man from a commercial fish enclosure in Rupsha Upazila. The victim, identified as Mohammad Bappi, a resident of Alaitpur village within the upazila, was found dead in the early hours of Monday morning in Mominbagh Beel, situated in the Naihati Union.
Local residents spotted the corpse submerged in the water of a commercial aquaculture enclosure between 5:00 am and 5:30 am and immediately alerted law enforcement authorities. Officers from the Rupsha Police Station arrived at the scene shortly afterwards to retrieve the body and initiate preliminary investigations.
According to police sources, the victim sustained severe physical injuries prior to his death. Physical inspection revealed a prominent gunshot wound on the right side of his neck alongside distinct marks of blunt force trauma to his head. These physical indicators suggest he was subjected to physical violence alongside the firearm assault.
Abir Siddiqui, Additional Superintendent of Police (District Special Branch) in Khulna, confirmed that the deceased had a complex criminal background. Whilst Bappi had previously worked in the regional fish trading business, police records indicate his involvement in several high-profile criminal cases, including armed robbery and murder. Authorities noted that he rarely resided in his home village, frequently moving around to evade local scrutiny and law enforcement monitoring.
Preliminary enquiries by law enforcement suggest a strong link to illicit narcotics operations in the region. Investigators suspect the homicide stemmed from an internal dispute amongst criminal associates regarding the distribution of drug trafficking proceeds or unresolved financial transactions.
Fish enclosures, locally known as gher, cover vast stretches of the low-lying wetlands in Khulna and frequently become sites of turf conflicts due to their isolated geography. A central aspect of the ongoing investigation focuses on determining whether the crime was committed at the fish enclosure itself or if the victim was murdered elsewhere and his body subsequently dumped in the water to conceal evidence.
Police are currently tracing Bappi’s recent movements, examining his financial dealings, and compiling a list of individuals who were in contact with him prior to his death. The body has been sent to the local hospital mortuary for a post-mortem examination to establish the precise time and cause of death, while police drives remain underway across the upazila to identify and apprehend those responsible.
