Rivers Emerge as Prime Sites for Body Disposal with 2,064 Recoveries Reported in Five Years
Over the past five years, Bangladesh’s river networks have increasingly become sites for the disposal of human remains, with authorities reporting the recovery of 2,064 bodies from 2021 to 2025. According to data from the Naval Police, the trend shows a steady annual increase, rising from 318 recoveries in 2021 to 541 in 2025.
While these recoveries include victims of natural disasters, drownings, and suicides, law enforcement officials and criminologists increasingly view the rivers as a "safe haven" for perpetrators looking to hide evidence of homicide. By dumping bodies into the water, criminals hope that decomposition and current-driven displacement will render the victims unidentifiable and erase forensic traces.
The logistical challenges of investigating these cases are substantial. Of the 2,064 bodies recovered during this period, 639 remained unidentified, often due to advanced decomposition that destroyed fingerprints and facial features. These unclaimed remains were ultimately buried as unidentified bodies by the organization Anjuman Mufidul Islam. In instances where identity is established, Naval Police investigations have uncovered motives ranging from personal and family disputes—including marital discord and extramarital affairs—to narcotics trafficking and property conflicts.
Statistically, the regions surrounding Dhaka and Narayanganj report the highest number of recoveries, with 320 and 193 bodies respectively over the last three years. Officials attribute this to high population density and heavy river traffic in these industrial corridors. The Naval Police reports that they have successfully filed charge sheets in 56 cases, while 132 murder investigations remain active and 26 have been transferred to other agencies. To date, 85 suspects have been apprehended in connection with these river-based homicides.
Forensic experts highlight the inherent difficulty in processing these scenes. According to Professor Sohel Mahmud, former general secretary of The Medico-Legal Society of Bangladesh, the immersion in water accelerates decay and allows aquatic life to scavenge remains, frequently destroying critical evidence and complicating the determination of the cause of death. Even when autopsies confirm homicide, the lack of a verified identity often creates a stalemate, leaving cases cold for years.
However, when identification is successful, breakthroughs can occur. In a notable 2024 case involving a decapitated body found in the Shitalakshya River, police were able to identify the victim, Zakir Hossain, through a tattoo and his clothing. Rigorous investigation into the victim’s phone records led to the arrest of three associates, who later confessed to a premeditated murder driven by personal disputes.
Naval Police Additional Inspector General Md. Rezaul Karim stated that the force has successfully resolved 65 percent of the homicide cases under its jurisdiction. Despite these efforts, securing the country’s vast river networks—which fluctuate between 3,000 and 8,000 kilometers depending on the season—remains a significant operational challenge.
Criminologists, including Md. Rezaul Karim Sohag of the University of Dhaka, emphasize that these rivers are being strategically utilized by contract killers and criminal groups to dispose of bodies under the cover of darkness. Experts are calling for increased surveillance of riverbanks and vulnerable transit points, alongside enhanced social awareness, to deter the use of waterways as a tool for obscuring violent crime.
