Teacher's body found in Shariatpur hotel after ransom call

Police recovered the body of a primary school teacher from a residential hotel room in Bhedarganj upazila of Shariatpur on Tuesday (October 20) afternoon.

The deceased was identified as Abul Bashar Talukder, 40, an assistant teacher at Kholapara Government Primary School in Gazipur Sadar upazila and son of late Jonab Ali Talukder from Kaliakair upazila.

Police retrieved the body from a second-floor room of the Dhaka Residential Hotel near Bhedarganj Police Station bridge on Tuesday.

Family members alleged that after Bashar left his Gazipur home on Sunday (October 18) morning for his ancestral house in Naria, Shariatpur, an unidentified person called his wife from Bashar's phone demanding Tk 20,000 under the pretext of medical treatment. The caller also sent a photograph of Bashar lying down and threatened that his body would not be found unless the money was paid.

Following a complaint, police tracked the mobile phone location to Bhedarganj and discovered the body inside the hotel room.

Both the hotel owner, Ataur Rahman, and the manager, Mamun, absconded immediately after the incident, according to police.

Additional Superintendent of Police (Gosairhat Circle) Md Shamsul Arefin confirmed the recovery, stating that a crime scene investigation team has been deployed to collect evidence. He added that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of death, identify those behind the phone calls, and ascertain the hotel staff's involvement.

-EM