Child’s body recovered from pond six hours after going missing in Shariatpur; suspect detained

Police recovered the body of a three-and-a-half-year-old boy from a pond in Shariatpur’s Damudya on Saturday (3 October), around six hours after he went missing.

A man named Russell Shikdar has been detained in connection with the incident, police said.

The body of Mohammad Swaib was found stuffed inside a sack in a pond behind the house of Abu Alam Shikdar in West Adashan area of Shidalkura union around 1:30pm. Swaib was the son of Selim Sardar and Shimuli, residents of the area.

According to police and locals, Swaib went out to play around 7am but did not return home. After the family informed police, police and fire service personnel launched a search for the child. They later recovered his body from the pond behind Abu Alam’s house.

The child’s relatives alleged that he was killed following a dispute between their family and neighbouring Abu Alam’s family on Friday evening. They alleged that Abu Alam and his son, Russell Shikdar, killed the child and dumped his body in the pond.

Tension spread in the area after the body was recovered. At one point, angry locals allegedly set fire to Abu Alam’s house. Police later detained Russell Shikdar as a suspect.

Speaking to The Business Srandard, Swaib’s father Selim Sardar said there had been an argument between his mother and neighbour Abu Alam over a trivial matter on Friday.

“On Saturday morning, I went to the market. When I returned, I could not find my son. I later filed a general diary with the police. Police and fire service personnel searched the area and recovered my son’s body from the pond behind Abu Alam’s house,” he added.

Selim demanded a proper investigation and exemplary punishment for those responsible for his son’s death.

No member of the accused family was available at home after the incident, so their comments could not be obtained.

When contacted, Shamsul Arefin, additional superintendent of police of Shariatpur’s Gosairhat Circle, said, “Russell Shikdar had been detained as a suspect and that legal proceedings were underway.”

He added that they were investigating the circumstances surrounding the child’s death and working to identify everyone involved.