Police have recovered 77 bones belonging to a young man from the Narsunda River in Kishoreganj, five months after he went missing, and arrested four people in connection with his alleged murder.
The victim, Salman, 21, was allegedly beaten to death by his friends following an argument while they were consuming Dandy, an intoxicating substance, police said.
Kishoreganj Superintendent of Police (SP) Md Mizanur Rahman disclosed the details at a press conference at the district police office on Saturday.
Salman was the son of Fazlur Rahman of Kurimara village in Shahedal Union under Hossainpur upazila.
The arrested suspects are Sakib, 18, and Mafi, 15, sons of Golap Mia; Rafiq, 40, son of the late Motaleb; and Ramzan Mia, 35, son of Shamsuddin. They are residents of Bishwanathpur village in Jangalia Union under Pakundia upazila.
According to police, Salman left home for Eliman Bazar on the evening of May 18 but never returned. After failing to find him, his family filed a general diary (GD) with Hossainpur Police Station the following day.
Investigating the disappearance, the district Detective Branch (DB) analysed mobile phone conversations and movement records of Salman and his friends with the help of technology. The investigation indicated the involvement of people close to him, police said.
After five months without any information about his son, Fazlur Rahman filed a murder case against unidentified suspects with Hossainpur Police Station on Friday. A special DB team subsequently arrested the four suspects during a raid in Bishwanathpur village on Thursday night, police said.
At the press conference, the SP said an argument broke out between Salman and his companions while they were consuming Dandy. At one point, Salman struck Mafi with a bamboo stick. Enraged, the others allegedly took the stick from him and beat him to death.
They then allegedly concealed his body beneath water hyacinths in the Narsunda River to hide the crime.
Acting on information provided by the suspects, DB police recovered 77 bones, including a skull and rib bones, along with a T-shirt believed to have belonged to Salman, from the river near Hatimer School in Shahedal Union on Friday afternoon.
Salman's mother, Salma, identified the remains by recognising the T-shirt, police said.
The recovered remains have been sent for post-mortem examination and DNA forensic testing after the preparation of an inquest report.
The suspects were produced before a court, with police seeking their remand for further interrogation.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Operations) Mukit Sarker and DB Officer-in-Charge Md Bahar Mia were present.
