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Published : 25 Nov 2025, 10:27 PM
Enamul Sheikh, a 27-year-old freelance worker from Muksedpur, Gopalganj, dreamed of a better life in Italy -- but the journey turned fatal when the migrant boat he was on capsized off Libya, leaving his mother heartbroken and five others missing.
Enamul had been doing well at his home. Alongside his postgraduate studies, he earned Tk 40,000 to Tk 50,000 a month, and his family was financially stable. No one in the family encouraged him to migrate.
Driven by hopes of earning more and securing a better future, Enamul, like many youths in the area, became determined to reach Italy. He set off with the help of a known broker, only to die when a boat carrying migrants capsized in the Mediterranean.
His mother, 60-year-old Monjera Begum, wailed out in grief: “He became obsessed with going abroad. I told him not to go. He said, ‘Everyone goes,what will happen if I do?’ Oh my son, your death has taken you away.”
“I want to see my son’s body. I want to hold him one last time. I want the body back. I have no complaints. His death was written. God took what was His. I only ask the government to return the body.”
The boat capsized on Nov 13 near Al-Khums on the Libyan coast. Muksedpur lost two men in the accident: Enamul and Anis Sheikh, 25.
Their families first learned of the incident from Facebook posts, later confirming the deaths through the broker and others who were travelling with them.
From the same Upazila, five more remain missing: Ibrahim Sheikh, Dulal Mina, Ashiq Mina, Habibullah Molla Sohel, and Niaz Mina.
According to the families, 26 Bangladeshis were on one of the boats that sank, and four bodies were recovered. After days of gathering information, they confirmed that Enamul and Anis were among the dead.
Enamul’s father, Yakub Sheikh, said his son completed a bachelor’s degree and enrolled in a master’s programme at Rajendra College in Faridpur. He was earning Tk 50,000 a month from freelancing, and the family had begun arranging his marriage.
“But he refused to marry and insisted on going to Italy by sea,” Yakub said.
“I tried to stop him. He didn’t listen. Imamul Matubbar, a broker from Madaripur and our relative, took Tk 200,000 from us. We were supposed to pay the rest after Enamul reached Italy.”
The broker had warned them that he would help if Enamul was detained, but would not take responsibility for an accident at sea, Yakub added.
“My son chose this path knowingly. The broker is not to blame. It is my fate,” he lamented.
Describing the incident, Yakub said Enamul left Bangladesh on Oct 10. On Nov 13, he boarded a boat from Al-Khums.
“Soon after they set sail, the Coast Guard chased after them. Another boat rammed into theirs from the side. Their boat sank. We are now certain Enamul died.”
Enamul’s elder brother, Gias Uddin Sheikh, said: “Please do whatever you can so we can bring my brother home and bury him in our country.”
Near Enamul’s house stands the home of Anis Sheikh, though no one was found there.
Neighbours said Anis lost his mother in childhood and married five years ago. His wife works as a nurse at Faridpur Medical College Hospital, and they have a three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, identified only as Anisa.
Alamgir Molla, the local Union Parishad member, said in anger: “We only wake up after they die. Travelling illegally to Italy is extremely dangerous. Knowing everything, we spend huge sums and push our children towards death. Families give everything in the hope of a better life.”
He added that the families now live in fear of whether the bodies will ever return.
“Without awareness, strict action against brokers, and legal migration channels, this death toll will not stop,” he said.
Muksedpur Upazila administrator Golam Mostafa said information on the dead and the missing is being collected.
The administration is maintaining contact with the families, and details have been sent to higher authorities to facilitate the repatriation of the bodies.
