Dhaka, September 28, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A total of 920 bodies were recovered from rivers across Bangladesh over the 20-month period ending August 2026, amid growing concerns over the country’s law and order situation, according to local media reports.
Citing Bangladesh River Police data, New Age reported that 541 bodies were recovered from rivers nationwide in 2025, while another 379 were found between January and August 2026.
Criminologists and human rights activists have raised concerns that criminal groups may be using rivers to dispose of evidence after homicides, while investigative agencies face challenges in identifying victims and solving cases.
Experts cited by New Age said that weighing down bodies before dumping them in rivers could give perpetrators time to evade detection. River currents can also carry remains far from the location of a crime, complicating efforts to establish where and how victims were killed.
However, the river police figures account for only some of the bodies recovered across the country, as remains are also frequently found along roadsides, railway tracks, fields and other locations, sometimes after being dismembered.
In its latest report, human rights organisation Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation (MSF) documented the recovery of at least 42 unidentified bodies from riverbanks, roads, railway lines, fields and other locations in Dhaka and elsewhere during the first 20 days of September 2026.
MSF data also showed that 465 unidentified bodies were recovered between January and August this year, New Age reported.
In one such case, police recovered the body of an unidentified man from the Bangshi River on September 14, after local residents spotted it floating near a playground in Depashai Noapara, under Sambhog union, and alerted authorities.
Shahidul Islam, Inspector (Investigation) at Dhamrai police station, said the deceased had not been identified. An unnatural death case was registered in connection with the incident.
A team from the Police Bureau of Investigation visited the police station and attempted to establish the man’s identity through fingerprint impressions but was unsuccessful. A senior police official told New Age that a DNA sample was collected before the body was buried as unidentified.
MSF Chief Executive Saidur Rahman said the organisation’s analysis indicated that many of the bodies recovered from rivers appeared to have been dumped after the victims were killed elsewhere.
Describing the number of bodies recovered from rivers and other locations as alarming, Rahman said many victims appeared to have been murdered over disputes involving land, family, financial matters and politics.
“Filing an unnatural death does not give the state a free pass for its responsibilities and accountability,” he said, calling attention to the need for accountability in investigating such cases.
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