Published : 06 Sep 2026, 08:25 PM
Updated : 16 Sep 2026, 11:48 AM
The passenger who has been killed and his body dumped on the Dhaka Elevated Expressway by a bus driver and two assistants, allegedly wanted to steal the money he was carrying, police say.
The victim, identified as Ismail Hossain, had boarded a bus from Jamalpur to travel to Gazipur.
Police said the bus supervisor noticed that he was carrying a large amount of cash when he paid his fare during the journey.
After the incident, police identified and seized the bus, named “Raj Classic”, on Saturday night.
The bus driver Sohel Rana, supervisor Saju alias Milon, and assistant Monir Hossain were subsequently arrested.
Police recovered the body of an unidentified man from the Dhaka Elevated Expressway on Friday morning.
His mouth had been sealed with tape, and he was wearing a blue shirt resembling the uniform of an auto-rickshaw driver, along with a Lungi.
Police later used his fingerprints to match information in the National Identity Card database and identified him as 50-year-old Ismail Hossain, hailing from Jamalpur Sadar Upazila.
On Saturday, family members said Ismail had been travelling from his village home in Jamalpur to Gazipur with Tk 500,000, which he had received from selling land to arrange his daughter's wedding. His family said the money was missing.
Later that night, police seized the bus used in the alleged killing and arrested the three suspects from the Mohakhali Bus Terminal, saying they had solved the mystery surrounding the case.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Joint Commissioner (Crime) Md Faruk Hossain said tape had been wrapped around the victim's mouth and both hands, while black marks were visible on his neck.
Police launched an investigation on the assumption that the man had been killed elsewhere and his body transported and dumped on the expressway.
Faruk said after reviewing CCTV footage from different points along the expressway, police became suspicious of the movements of a particular bus and were eventually able to identify it.
Based on the preliminary interrogation of the suspects, he said, “They have admitted their involvement in the killing.”
Ismail had boarded the bus in Jamalpur around 4:30am.
“After passengers got on and off at different locations during the journey from Jamalpur to Dhaka, at one point supervisor Saju asked Ismail for the fare,” Faruk said.
Ismail then took money from where he had tucked it inside his lungi around his waist and paid the fare. At that point, Saju noticed that he was carrying a large amount of money.
Faruk said, “He later informed the bus driver that this man was carrying a lot of money. They assumed that he might be a businessman and that he could be carrying even more money. They then planned to take the money from him.”
According to police, instead of dropping Ismail at Chandra Bus Stand, the bus dropped off its other passengers at different locations in Gazipur and continued towards Dhaka with Ismail still inside.
“At one point, the supervisor and the helper taped Ismail's mouth and hands and wrapped a Gamchha (local cotton towel) around him, ensuring his death,” Faruk said.
He added that the bus entered the expressway from the Airport area and travelled to Banani. While returning in the opposite direction towards the Airport, the suspects allegedly dumped Ismail's body between pillars 179 and 180 before fleeing.
Faruk said police later used information technology and other sources to trace the bus, seize it and arrest the three suspects.
Although the case alleges that Tk 500,000 was stolen from Ismail, the arrested men claimed that they took Tk 250,000.
Faruk said, “They have claimed that they have already spent the money. If we bring them into remand and interrogate them extensively, we will be able to determine where the money is.”
Responding to questions about why it took time to identify the bus despite the presence of cameras, and about security on the expressway, he said:
“The expressway has a separate authority. We have always said that this is an important road and that its security is the responsibility of the relevant authorities. From our side, we have repeatedly emphasised the need to ensure its security, particularly through CCTV surveillance.”
He also said authorities would examine whether there had been any shortcomings in CCTV monitoring or security arrangements and whether the relevant authorities were complying with the conditions and requirements set for ensuring the expressway's safety.
