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Police have recovered the buried body of a businessman from a house in Dhaka’s Lalbagh, three days after he was reported missing.
The body of Sheikh Wasim Roni, 43, was recovered by digging up soil beside a room on the ground floor of a five-storey building. Roni lived in the Shekherdi area of Khilgaon.
Police initially suspect that he was killed and buried following a dispute over Tk3 lakh that he had lent at interest. A man identified as Mohammad Masum Chowdhury has been detained in connection with the incident.
The body was recovered around 5:30am on Friday and later sent to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.
Earlier, Lalbagh police launched an operation at the building on BC Das Street around 11:30pm on Thursday.
Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Lalbagh division, said Roni’s relatives filed a general diary at Lalbagh Police Station on September 8, reporting him missing.
“While investigating the GD, police detained Roni’s friend Masum. Later, acting on information provided by Masum, police recovered Roni’s body buried under sand and soil behind the house,” he said.
According to Roni’s relatives, he was a businessman, while Masum was involved in the imitation jewellery business. Masum reportedly operated his workshop on the ground floor of the building beside which Roni’s body was found.
Masum’s brother-in-law claimed that Masum had taken Tk3 lakh from Roni about eight months ago and had agreed to pay Tk35,000 every month against the amount. A dispute later developed over repayment of the principal, he said.
Police said Masum was detained and questioned after investigators traced Roni’s phone call records following his disappearance. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to killing Roni and burying his body.
According to police, Masum told investigators that Roni had been demanding repayment of the Tk3 lakh he was owed. Masum allegedly took Roni to his house on the pretext of paying the money.
He allegedly struck Roni on the head, causing him to fall, then tied his hands and legs and wrapped his face in a plastic bag. He subsequently buried the body under sand and soil in an open space between two buildings beneath the house.
Roni’s wife, Nusrat Jahan Sima, filed a case with Lalbagh Police Station, police said.
