Meghna River Vessel Tragedy: Suspect Irfan Arrested

In the Harina ferry ghat area of Chandpur, seven people were killed in an attack on a vessel anchored in the Meghna River. In connection with the incident, Akash Mondal, also known as Irfan, has been arrested.

According to a message from the RAB-11 sent from Cumilla district on Wednesday, December 25, Irfan was apprehended in the Chitalmari area of Bagerhat. Irfan was among the eight people who were attacked on the vessel, and after the killings, he had been missing. 

A case has been filed with the Haimchar police station on Tuesday regarding the death of seven people. The vessel's owner, Mahbub Morshed, has filed the case against unidentified individuals. The Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Haimchar police station, Mohammad Mohiuddin Sumon, confirmed the details of the case. The investigation has been assigned to the Harinaghat river police station in Chandpur.

The victims in the murder include Master Golam Kibria, greaser Mohammad Sajibul Islam, lascar Mohammad Majedul Islam, Salauddin, Aminur Munshi, and cook Rana Kazi. Additionally, Sukani Mohammad Jewel (28) was injured and is receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He is the son of Sekandar (also known as Second Khalasi) from the Durga Pur village in Faridpur Sadar.

In the case, Mahbub Morshed mentioned in the FIR that Jewel could not speak due to a severe neck injury but communicated through gestures that he could identify the attackers if he saw them again. He also mentioned that Irfan was with Jewel at the time but couldn't provide any further details about him.

During the investigation, police recovered a bloodied Chinese cleaver, a folding knife, two smartphones, two button phones, a wallet, 8,000 taka in cash, a Bengali notebook, a seal, and a headphone from the vessel.

The injured Jewel is currently being provided with security at the hospital. The district commissioner Mohsin Uddin and the naval police superintendent Syed Moshfiqur Rahman handed over the bodies of six of the deceased to their families on Tuesday afternoon. The district administration also provided 20,000 taka in checks, while the naval police provided 10,000 taka in cash. However, Rana Kazi's family could not be reached, so his body was not handed over.

A four-member investigation committee has been formed by the Ministry of Industry, and separate committees have also been established by the district administration, Coast Guard, and naval police to probe the incident. No arrests have been made so far.