Home
+
Published : 02 Jun 2026, 11:12 AM
The body of a 7-year-old girl who was dragged into a crocodile-inhabited pond beside the shrine of Hazrat Khan Jahan Ali in Bagerhat has been recovered hours after the incident.
Rescuers retrieved the body around 4am on Tuesday from the eastern bank of the pond, said shrine caretaker and former district Jubo Dal president Fakir Tarikul Islam.
He said the body was spotted floating near the eastern shore at dawn, after which rescue teams used boats to recover it.
The girl, identified only as Fatema, was pulled into the water around 8:15pm on Monday, he said.
Witnesses said she had gone down the steps of the pond to bathe or wash her hands and feet when a crocodile, lurking in the water, suddenly attacked and dragged her under.
Her screams, along with those of nearby people, alerted locals, who immediately began searching the pond by boat.
Fire Service and Civil Defence personnel later joined the operation.
Fatema was the daughter of a “mentally unstable” woman living as a vagabond near the shrine area.
Her father is unknown, and little else is known about the family, according to police and shrine sources.
Officials said the shrine pond is currently believed to be inhabited by a single crocodile.
Following the incident, Bagerhat-1 MP Shaikh Monzurul Haque Rahad, Deputy Commissioner Golam Mohammad Baten and Superintendent of Police Hasan Mohammad Nasir Rikabdar visited the site and oversaw the rescue operation.
However, the child could not be located until early Tuesday.
Shrine caretaker Tarikul said bite marks were found on the body, though there was no visible dismemberment.
He added that steps involving burial and procedures will be decided in consultation with the district administration and police.
