Body of 'Rohingya' teenage girl found in Moulvibazar river

Police recovered body of a teenage girl from the Manu river at Hajipur union in Moulvibazar's Kulaura upazila yesterday.

The unidentified body was found stuck in a sandbar yesterday afternoon, police said.

An identity card issued by the Indian government was found with the body, identifying the cardholder as 18-year-old Parveen Fatema, a Rohingya.

However, in the case of unnatural death registered by the police, the victim was listed as unidentified.

Kulaura Police Station's Officer-in-charge (OC) Golam Afsar said, "The body is decomposed. An Indian ID card was found with the body, but it does not confirm her identity. She may have been living in a Rohingya camp in India, which is why we have listed her as unidentified for now."

The Manu river originates in India's Tripura state and flows into Bangladesh through Sharifpur union in the upazila. With water levels dropping during the dry season, several sandbars have emerged in different parts of the river, locals said.

The locals spotted the body on one such sandbar in Daudpur and then informed the police.

OC Golam said the body was sent to Moulvibazar District Hospital for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.