Bangladesh Sees Sharp Increase in Unidentified Bodies in 2025

The increasing number of unidentified bodies being recovered in Dhaka and other parts of Bangladesh has raised deep concern among rights groups and experts.

According to data from the rights organization Manabadhikar Songshkriti Foundation (MSF), 461 unidentified bodies were recovered between January and September 2025. The numbers were 373 and 250 during the same periods in 2024 and 2023, respectively.

In September alone, 52 unidentified bodies were found, and except for a few, most remained unidentified, the organization reported.

Experts and human rights activists suspect that many of these deaths are linked to murders resulting from economic, political, or personal disputes.

Professor Md Omar Faruk, dean of the Department of Criminology and Police Science at Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, described the rising number of unidentified and unclaimed bodies as a “deeply concerning” trend.

He blamed the deteriorating law and order situation and ongoing political unrest for the surge.

“Perpetrators are taking advantage of this critical period to settle business, political, or personal disputes. They know they are likely to escape punishment,” he said.

 

Faruk added that most of these killings appear to be premeditated and carried out by professional criminals.

“The perpetrators dump the bodies in remote areas or water bodies where decomposition makes identification nearly impossible,” he explained.

 

Rights activists noted that most of these bodies were found floating in rivers or ponds, along highways, under bridges, near railway tracks, in fields, or in isolated locations.

On October 5, the blood-soaked body of an unidentified woman was discovered near Gendaria Railway Station in Dhaka, bearing multiple stab wounds. Police suspected she was raped before being killed. The body was later handed over to welfare organization Anjuman Mufidul Islam for burial, as it remained unidentified.

MSF Chief Executive Saidur Rahman said the trend of such killings was becoming a major source of public insecurity.

“It is the government’s responsibility to ensure security for every citizen. The authorities must take effective measures to identify and punish those involved,” he said.

 

He also criticized the lack of transparency in handling unclaimed bodies, noting that many are buried indiscriminately without confirming their religious identity.

According to Anjuman Mufidul Islam, 468 unclaimed bodies—both identified and unidentified—were buried in Dhaka between January and September 2025, compared to 378 during the same period in 2023. In September alone, the charity buried 59 unclaimed bodies.

Supreme Court lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua suggested that such incidents often rise ahead of national elections.

“Many killings occur before elections when perpetrators use the period of instability to settle disputes,” he said, warning that killings may increase ahead of the 13th parliamentary elections scheduled for February 2026.

Barua noted that in most cases, victims are murdered in one location and the bodies dumped elsewhere, complicating identification.

He added that despite the political transition in 2024, law and order had not significantly improved.

On October 2, police recovered three bodies near the Central Shaheed Minar, National Eidgah, and Central Mosque in Dhaka University area. Two remained unidentified, and police suspected the victims were homeless individuals who died of illness.

On October 3, a young man named Omar Faruk Molla went missing from Hazaribagh; his body was found two days later floating in Dhanmondi Lake. The same day, police recovered three more bodies from Ramna Park, Gendaria, and Hazaribagh.

Police spokesperson Sahadat Hossaine said that efforts were being made to identify bodies using technology.

“If identification is not possible, an unnatural death case is filed,” he stated.

According to Anjuman data, 570 unclaimed bodies were buried in 2024, with the highest number—81—recorded in July, when anti-quota student protests escalated into a mass movement that toppled the authoritarian regime of Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024.

Official data show that at least 836 people, including children, were killed and more than 15,000 injured during the July–August uprising.