Noakhali Correspondent

Police have recovered the body of a youth group leader named Azad Hossain (34) from a pond near his house, a day after he went missing in Kabirhat, Noakhali. He had a rope wrapped around his neck and injury marks above his eyes, police said.

Locals saw the body floating in a pond in Dakshin Ghoshbagh village of Ward No. 8 of Kabirhat Municipality around 5 pm on Friday. . Later, the police went to the spot and recovered the body.

The deceased Azad was the son of the late Fazal Haque of Hanif Mia's house in the same village. He was the publicity secretary of Jubo Dal No. 8 of Kabirhat Municipality.

Police said Azad Hossain went missing after leaving his house at around 1am on Thursday. His relatives searched for him in various possible places but could not find him. Later, on Friday around 5pm, locals saw his body floating in a pond near the house and informed the police. Police reached the spot and recovered the body.

The relatives of the deceased have alleged that Azad's cousins, Farooq (40) and Nizam (36), may have been involved in the incident. They also claim that they have been absconding since the incident.

Former Noakhali district BNP member Golam Momit Faisal said, "Juba Dal leader Azad was a businessman. He was also an active leader of the Jubo Dal. I urge the police to quickly unravel the mystery of his death, identify those involved and bring them to justice."

Kabirhat Police Station OC Romel Barua said that a post-mortem report has been prepared on the body at the scene. A rope was tied around his neck and injury marks were seen on his eyes. The body will be sent to the 250-bed Noakhali General Hospital morgue for an autopsy. Legal action will be taken based on the family's complaint.