Police recovered the charred body of Mohammad Hossain, 48, also known as Hossain Fakir, in the early hours of yesterday and sent it to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) for autopsy.

Police said masked criminals stormed into the one-room house of Hossain, beat up him and torched the house leaving him inside with his arms and legs tied.

Neighbours rushed to the spot to find Hossain completely burnt and informed police.

Deserted by his wife a few months back, Hossain used to live alone in the house, police said.

Police could not say the reason behind the killing. The officer-in-charge of Anwara Police Station said, "So far as we know, Hossain didn't have enmity with anyone in the locality."