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Bangladesh Rivers Spew 920 Corpses in 20 Months: A Hub for Destroying Murder Evidence?
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News18•28-09-2026, 19:44
Bangladesh Rivers Spew 920 Corpses in 20 Months: A Hub for Destroying Murder Evidence?
- •920 bodies recovered from Bangladesh rivers in 20 months, raising concerns about deteriorating law and order.
- •Crime experts and human rights activists fear rivers are used by criminals to dispose of evidence after murders.
- •Bangladesh River Police data shows 541 bodies recovered in 2025 and 379 between January and August 2026.
- •Human rights organization 'Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation' (MSF) reported 42 unidentified bodies found in the first 20 days of September 2026.
- •MSF's Chief Executive, Saidur Rahman, suggests most bodies were dumped in rivers after murders related to land, family, financial, and political disputes.
Key Questions Answered
Police recovered a total of 920 bodies from rivers across Bangladesh over the past 20 months up to August, with 541 bodies found in 2025 and 379 between January and August of this year.
Experts and activists warn that tying weights to bodies and throwing them into rivers gives murderers time to avoid capture, while river currents carry remains far away, making crime scene investigations difficult.
When an identity cannot be determined through fingerprints, authorities take DNA samples and register a case of unnatural death before burying the body as an unidentified person.
