Man killed over Tk 3 lakh debt

Three days after Sheikh Wasim alias Rony disappeared, police dug up a patch of soil beside a building on BC Das Street in Lalbagh on Friday and found his decomposing body.

The 47-year-old’s hands and legs were tied and his face was wrapped in polythene. Police said he had allegedly been killed by a friend over a Tk 300,000 debt and buried to conceal the crime. Police arrested Mohammad Masum, an imitation jewellery businessman and Rony’s friend, in connection with the killing. The CID Crime Scene Unit and Detective Branch police visited the spot and collected evidence. Rony’s body was later sent to the Dhaka Medical College morgue for autopsy.

According to police and family members, Rony and Masum had been close friends and knew each other well. Rony worked as an intermediary in land transactions and was also involved in housing business and money-lending.

About eight months ago, Masum allegedly borrowed Tk 300,000 from Rony, promising to pay Tk 35,000 a month. But irregular payments led to a prolonged dispute between the two. On September 8, Rony went to Masum’s wholesale factory to collect the outstanding amount and retrieve a cheque he had kept as security, according to police.