Two children among those dead inside Mirpur terror den: Forensic experts

A team led by Dr Sohel Mahmud, head of forensic department at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, autopsied the mortal remains on Thursday.

The team, however, could not ascertain the gender of those torn apart by suicide blasts.

Seven human skulls and charred body parts were found inside a flat in Mirpur where a suspected terrorist had been living with his family.

The discovery followed a string of large explosions allegedly set off by 'Abdullah', the chief terror suspect who the RAB said was being cordoned off inside a six-storey building on Mazar Road for nearly two days.

One blast from Tuesday night left a large hole, as deep as four square feet, on the floor of the fifth-storey flat through which fire spread to the lower floors, RAB Director General Benazir Ahmed said at a news briefing on Wednesday.

"The number of skulls indicates the number of bodies in there. The militants killed themselves by causing this explosion."

The seven dead bodies are believed to be of Abdullah, his two wives 'Nasrin' and 'Fatema', and his two young children 'Omar' and 'Osama', who were approximately between three to nine years of age.

Two unidentified associates of Abdullah also died in the blast.

DNA samples from their remains were sent to the DMCH.

“We have seven skulls and some charred bones. There is no flesh,” forensic expert Dr Mahmud told bdnews24.com on Thursday.

“Two of the skulls are smaller in size. But there is no way to determine the genders of the rest five,” he added.

Abdullah’s relatives have refused to receive the remains of five persons for burial, RAB spokesperson Mufti Mahmud Khan told bdnews24.com.

He added that no-one had been approached yet over the skulls of children.

On Thursday, the parents of a man who worked in Abdullah’s pigeon farm came from Bhola to look for their son in the building, which is now a crime scene.

Abdul Malek and Noorjahan Begum said their 22-year-old son Kamaluddin had been working in Abdullah’s farm for the past six months.

The 24-flat building has four flats on each floor. Abdullah had rented two units on the fifth storey. The sixth storey was used for keeping his pigeons.

The seven bodies have burnt beyond recognition, said RAB spokesperson Khan.

“Their autopsies have been completed. We are trying to identify them but it will take time.”