Man arrested over six murders in Savar, police say

A man, described by locals as mentally unwell, has been arrested in connection with six murders committed over the past seven months in Savar, including five killings inside the abandoned Savar Municipal Community Centre, police said.

The information was disclosed at a press briefing at Savar Model Police Station this morning by Arafatul Islam, additional superintendent of police (crime, operations and traffic–north) of Dhaka.

According to police, the arrested man is Mashiur Rahman Samrat, 40, of the Bank Colony area under Savar Municipality.

Police said Samrat was detained yesterday from Muktir Mor area of Savar following the recovery of two burnt bodies of unidentified individuals from the community centre. He was later shown arrested in the double murder case filed by police and produced before a court with a prayer for 10 days’ remand.

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2 bodies found in abandoned Savar building

At the briefing, Additional SP Arafatul said police visited the Bank Colony area based on information provided by the accused but were unable to confirm his permanent address.

Although Samrat is widely known as "mentally unwell" in the locality, police said no such symptoms were found during interrogation.

“Because he roams around like a vagabond, people assumed he was mentally unwell. However, during interrogation, we did not find any signs or symptoms of mental illness,” he said.

He said that after earlier recoveries of bodies from the abandoned community centre, police intensified surveillance in the area. With assistance from the municipality, the building was cleaned, lighting was improved and CCTV cameras were installed. Regular patrols were also deployed.

He said that on Saturday night, police questioned people staying in the building. After two burnt bodies were recovered from the second floor on Sunday, CCTV footage was analysed, leading to the identification of a suspicious individual. A subsequent raid resulted in Samrat’s detention.

During preliminary interrogation, Samrat confessed to his involvement in all the six murders, including the latest double killing, police said, adding that the motive could not be determined immediately.

“We had very little time to interrogate Samrat after his arrest. He has been produced before the court with a prayer for 10 days’ remand. If the remand is granted, we may be able to uncover the full details through intensive questioning,” Arafatul said.

He said five bodies have been recovered from the community centre over the past five months. In addition, the body of an elderly woman, Asma Begum, 75, was recovered from behind a tea stall adjacent to the Savar Model Mosque.

Police said that except for Asma Begum, the other five victims remain unidentified and separate cases have been filed in connection with each incident.

Initially, police believed Asma Begum had died of natural causes and filed an unnatural death case. However, the post-mortem report later revealed she had been strangled, prompting the filing of a murder case.

Arafatul said the first body was recovered on August 29 last year from the second floor of the community centre. The unidentified victim, believed to be around 30, was found with his hands tied and in a decomposed state.

On October 11, the body of an unidentified woman, also aged around 30, was recovered from a bathroom on the second floor with her throat slit. On December 19, another unidentified man, aged about 35, was found dead in the building.

Last night, police recovered two more burnt bodies from the same building. “We believe one of the victims is a 13-year-old girl, while the other is estimated to be around 25. However, the gender of the latter could not be confirmed immediately,” he said.

Police said Samrat has long been seen roaming around the area adjacent to Savar Model Police Station and the nearby upazila health complex, and locals reported seeing him staying overnight inside the abandoned building on several occasions.

Meanwhile, The Daily Star has obtained CCTV footage from the area, which shows Samrat carrying a body on his shoulders and running around the premises late at night.