Police have recovered five bodies from the Naf River and coastal areas of Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, in 11 consecutive days. Earlier, the bodies of three women and a human skeleton were recovered.
The body of an unidentified young man was recovered from the Naf River on Shahparir Island on Sunday (July 19).
According to police and local sources, the body was disfigured due to being submerged in water for a long time. As a result, it was not possible to identify it immediately. The deceased youth was wearing dark blue shorts and a light green jersey. Police believe that the young man, who had a light beard and mustache, was approximately 20 to 30 years old. Although the skin color of the body had changed due to being submerged in water for a long time, no signs of injury were initially found on the body.
Local residents and police believe that he may be one of the people missing in the recent sinking of two trawlers bound for Malaysia off the coast of Myanmar. Or he may be one of the people missing in the boat sinking in the Badramokam Channel on the way to Shahparir Island from Myanmar’s Rakhine State across the Naf River. However, no confirmed information has been received yet.
Abdul Mannan, acting chairman of Sabrang Union Parishad, said that the police were informed about a body floating on the banks of the Naf River in the morning. Later, the police went to the spot and recovered the body.
Sub-Inspector (SI) Sanjeev, in-charge of Shahparir Dwip police outpost, said that the post-mortem report of the body is being prepared. After completing the legal process, the body will be sent to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.
He added that initially it was not possible to confirm whether the deceased was a Bengali or a Rohingya. However, the police are taking necessary steps to identify the person.
Meanwhile, locals claim that the Bay of Bengal has been very rough due to adverse weather conditions for the past few days. As a result, they fear that more bodies will be washed up from various points in the sea and the Naf River.
Earlier, on July 8, police recovered the bodies of three unidentified women from Shahparir Island, St. Martin’s and Rajarchara beaches in Teknaf. Later, on July 10, another human skeleton was recovered from a beach adjacent to Shahparir Island.
