On Saturday (3 October), police recovered the body of a three-and-a-half-year-old boy from a pond in Shariatpur’s Damudya, around six hours after he went missing.
The Disappearance and Recovery in Damudya
The morning of Saturday (3 October) began for young Mohammad Swaib. He went out to play around 7am in the West Adashan area of Shidalkura union, but he did not return home. After the family informed police, police and fire service personnel launched a search for the child. According to The Business Standard, police and fire service personnel mobilized a joint search effort across the neighborhood.
That search ended around 1:30pm in a grim discovery. Rescuers located the child’s body stuffed inside a sack submerged in a pond directly behind the residence of Abu Alam Shikdar.
Family Allegations of a Trivial Dispute
Behind the immediate tragedy lies a bitter neighborhood feud that boiled over just hours before the disappearance. Swaib’s family told The Business Standard and The Daily Star that an altercation had erupted on Friday evening between the victim’s mother and their neighbor, Abu Alam Shikdar, over what they described as a trivial matter.
Fuelled by grief and suspicion, the child’s relatives directly accused Abu Alam and his son, Russell Shikdar, of killing the child and dumping his body in the pond. Speaking to The Business Standard, the boy’s father, Selim Sardar, explained that he had gone to the market on Saturday morning and returned to find his son gone. He subsequently filed a general diary with the police before the search began. No members of the accused family could be reached for comment, as their home was reportedly deserted following the incident.
Local Unrest and Ongoing Police Investigation
The discovery of the child’s body acted as a lightning rod for community outrage. As news of the find spread across the locality, tension gripped the neighborhood. The Business Standard and The Daily Star both documented that agitated locals, overcome by anger, gathered at the scene and set fire to Abu Alam Shikdar’s house.
| Incident Detail | Reported Fact | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Victim Name | Mohammad Swaib (also cited as Sowaif Hossain) | The Business Standard / The Daily Star |
| Timeline | Went missing around 7am; body found around 1:30pm (Saturday, 3 October) | The Business Standard / The Daily Star |
| Location | Pond/ditch in West Adashan / Paschim Adasan, Damudya, Shariatpur | The Business Standard / The Daily Star |
| Primary Detainee | Russell Shikdar, son of Abu Alam Shikdar | The Business Standard / The Daily Star |
In response to the escalation, law enforcement moved to secure the area and initiate legal proceedings. Shamsul Arefin, additional superintendent of police for the Gosairhat Circle, confirmed to The Daily Star that 45-year-old Russel Shikdar was detained for questioning after the victim’s family named several neighbors as suspects. Arefin further stated to The Business Standard that investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding the death and working to identify everyone involved. Meanwhile, the body was sent to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital for autopsy.
