RAB arrests one suspect over killing of 7 on board ship

RAB-11 arrested Akash Mondal aka Irfan from Bagerhat's Chitalmari, the elite force says in a press statement

The Rapid Action Battalion has arrested a suspect from Bagerhat in the killing of seven workers aboard the MV Al Bakhera ship on the Meghna River in Chandpur.

RAB-11 arrested Akash Mondal aka Irfan from Bagerhat's Chitalmari, the elite force said in a statement to the media.

The bodies of seven workers were recovered from the MV Al Bakhera on Monday.

Maj Sakib Hossain of RAB-11 will brief the media on the arrest at 12pm.

On Tuesday, Md Mahbub Morshed filed a case with Haimchar Police Station on behalf of the owners of the ship. Ten unidentified people were named in the case.

The MV Al Bakhera, owned by Brishti Enterprise, was transporting fertiliser when it was found anchored in the Meghna River. The vessel had eight workers on board. Five of them were found with their throats slit while three others were rescued in critical condition. Two of them later died in hospital care.

The final victim has been sent to Dhaka for advanced treatment.

The bodies were handed over to their families on Tuesday. The dead hailed from Narail, Magura, Faridpur and Munshiganj.

The district administration gave Tk 20,000 to each family, while the River Police provided an additional Tk 10,000.

Three separate investigation committees have been formed by the Ministry of Industries, district administration and police over the incident.