4 held as police recover missing man's dismembered body in Kushtia

Milon Hossain went missing on Jan 31. Police later discovered his chopped-up remains on the banks of the Padma River

Kushtia resident Milon Hossain was reported missing on Jan 31. Following a general diary filed by his wife, police detained two people with suspected ties to his disappearance.

In a grim turn of events, law enforcers discovered a man's body chopped up into eight pieces along the banks of Padma River in Kushtia Sadar Upazila in the early hours of Saturday.

Police later confirmed that the remains belonged to 27-year-old Milon.

Milon had been living with his wife, Mimi Khatun, in a rented residence in Kushtia city since their marriage nine months ago. He earned his living through an online business.

Authorities have since arrested four people, including Sajib Ahmed, 25, Johnny Ahmed, 22, and Sajal Ahmed, 24, in connection with the murder.

Acting on information from the general diary filed by Mimi, police initially apprehended Sajal and Sajib, according to Sheikh Md Sohel Rana, chief of Kushtia Model Police Station.

During interrogation, they admitted their involvement in Milon's killing and provided details about the motive and method of the grisly murder, he said.

Based on their statements, the police launched an operation that lasted from midnight to the early hours of Saturday to locate Milon's body.

They found eight pieces of Milon's body, each wrapped in polythene, along the Padma riverbank in Hatash Haripur Union and subsequently sent them to the morgue at Kushtia General Hospital for further examination.

Milon's wife Mimi recounted her distress in the wake of his disappearance.

"He left our home at 10 am on Jan 31, and by 11:30 am, his phone was off. We couldn’t find him anywhere, despite searching everywhere possible. So, I filed a general diary at the Kushtia Model Police Station."

"That morning, Milon had received a call from his business associate Sajal. After that, we lost all contact with him. I wasn’t aware of Sajal’s criminal activities, including his use of firearms and drug addiction. Had I known, I would never have allowed Milon to associate with him."

Demanding justice for her husband's murder, Mimi said, "Sajal is dangerous and leads a gang that abducted and murdered Milon. I demand justice and the harshest punishment for those responsible."

Police said the arrestees are all part of a criminal gang engaged in various illegal activities, including murder, blackmail, cloning mobile numbers, fraud, and dealing in weapons and drugs.

Sajib, a known youth gang leader, has been implicated in numerous criminal cases at Kushtia Model Police Station, with several cases pending in court.

"Preliminary interrogation of the suspects hints at a potential dispute over money as the motive behind Milon's murder. However, it's too early for conclusive statements. Further investigation will reveal if others were involved in the incident," said Kushtia's Assistant Superintendent of Police Palash Kanti.