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Unclaimed bodies surge in Dhaka: 400 buried in 8 months
Published : Wednesday, 30 September, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Observer Online Report
AI Illustration
At least 400 unclaimed bodies were buried in the capital during the first eight months of this year, raising concerns among police and sociologists.
According to Anjuman Mufidul Islam, these unidentified bodies were buried between January and August, averaging 50 per month. The charity buried 30 bodies in January, 59 in February, 52 in March, 46 in April, 56 in May, 67 in June, 42 in July, and 48 in August.
Of these, 326 were buried at Rayerbazar graveyard and 74 at Jurain graveyard. One body was cremated at the Postogola crematorium.
Anjuman officials, including burial service officer Kamrul Ahmed, confirmed they only bury bodies after receiving police clearance following autopsies. The organisation previously buried 570 unclaimed bodies in 2024 and 643 in 2025.
Police recover unidentified bodies almost daily from streets, railways, canals, parks, and abandoned buildings. While some victims die from accidents, drowning, or illnesses, many are vagrants, homeless, or mentally imbalanced. A lack of national identity cards or birth registrations heavily complicates identification.
On Monday alone, police recovered five unidentified bodies, including a woman, from Shahbagh, Motijheel, Jatrabari, and Kamrangirchar.
Earlier on Friday, the decomposed body of a 16-year-old boy with head injuries was found in an abandoned toilet under the Jurain railway bridge. The Shahbagh police station area alone recorded at least 11 such recoveries this year.
Criminals often mutilate bodies to hide identities. Recently, the dismembered body of a young woman was found in six pieces inside a bag in an Adabor canal. The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) failed to identify her as decomposition destroyed her fingerprints.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed expressed doubt over the high figures, stating he lacked detailed information on such a large number of unclaimed bodies.
However, he noted police use manual investigation methods and DNA profiling when fingerprints fail, burying bodies later due to limited morgue space. DMP Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) Md Akhtar Hossain also said police need to analyze the data.
Dr Tawhidul Haque, an associate professor of sociology at Dhaka University, said the issue goes beyond law and order. He linked the deaths to weakening social bonds, homelessness, and isolation. He urged better coordination among hospitals, police, and local administration to build a database of missing persons.
Human rights activist Nur Khan Liton claimed a large portion of these unclaimed bodies are murder victims.
He urged the state to take effective measures to solve these crimes and ensure killers do not escape justice by hiding bodies.
-SA
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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
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Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Online: email: [email protected] 41053014; 01550707297 Advertisement: 01550707296
