The grim discovery was made on Monday morning, 24 August, when local residents spotted the child’s body floating in the waters of the Arial Khan River near the madrasa ghat close to Mannan Haji’s Moor in the Nilakhi area. Prompted by urgent alerts from locals, officers from both the Shibchar Police Station and the naval police rushed to the scene to retrieve the remains. Following initial inquest procedures, the child’s body was transferred to the Madaripur Sadar Hospital morgue for a post-mortem examination.

The tragedy unfolded initially on the morning of 19 August, when police discovered the lifeless body of 22-year-old Shampa Akter hidden near a bush in the Bakherkandi area of Madborchar union. Shampa, the daughter of Shamrul Islam from the Lalpur area of Natore, had been married to Md Shahabuddin Howlader of Boro Meher in Madaripur approximately three years prior.

Following the gruesome discovery of the young mother, her grieving father, Shamrul Islam, lodged a formal murder case at the Shibchar Police Station on 20 August. Swift action by a joint task force comprising local police and members of the elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-8) led to the apprehension of the prime suspect, identified as Faruk Molla.

Law enforcement authorities revealed that during subsequent interrogations, the suspect confessed to raping and murdering Shampa Akter, as well as killing her one-year-old infant, Abir, before casting the child’s body into the Arial Khan River.

Confirming the latest recovery, Shibchar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Kamal Hossain stated that the toddler’s body has been recovered and sent for a post-mortem examination while legal proceedings against the accused continue to move forward. The community has since demanded swift and exemplary justice for the heinous crime inflicted upon the young mother and her child.

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