In a chilling discovery that has sent shockwaves through the capital, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has dismantled an organised criminal gang involved in the systematic theft and trafficking of human skeletal remains.
During a series of high-stakes operations led by the Tejgaon Division, law enforcement successfully recovered 47 human skulls and a significant quantity of human bones. Four members of the gang have been taken into custody.
The Arrests and Modus Operandi
The detainees have been identified as:
- Kazi Zahurul Islam (alias Soumik, 25)
- Md. Abul Kalam (39)
- Asadul Munshi (alias Jasim, alias Ershad, 32)
- Md. Faisal Ahmed (26)
According to investigators, the racket operated by exhuming remains from graveyards across Mymensingh, Sherpur, Jamalpur, and Gazipur. Following their extraction, the bones were allegedly supplied to students at a private dental college in Uttara.
In a disturbing turn of details, the gang members reportedly processed the remains using chemicals within college hostel rooms before marketing them on private Facebook groups, fetching prices between 15,000 to 20,000 BDT per unit.
Police Action
The breakthrough came after police received a tip-off regarding a suspect operating near the 1st gate of Monipuripara. A raid conducted in the early hours of Sunday led to the arrest of Kazi Zahurul Islam, from whom the first skeleton was recovered.
Subsequent interrogation of the suspect guided police to Md. Abul Kalam and Asadul Munshi near Tejgaon College, where two more skeletons were seized. The investigation culminated in a raid on a hostel belonging to the Sapporo Dental College in Uttara, where Md. Faisal Ahmed was apprehended with a cache of 44 human skeletons.
Speaking on the matter, the Deputy Commissioner of Police for the Tejgaon Division, Ibne Mizan, confirmed the arrests and highlighted the suspects’ criminal backgrounds. Md. Abul Kalam faces 21 prior cases across various police stations, while Asadul Munshi has two active cases against him.
A formal case has been filed at the Tejgaon Police Station, and further legal procedures are underway to determine the full extent of the gang’s network.
