Police have recovered severed body parts of a man from a drum on the sidewalk adjacent to a water pump near the National Eidgah ground next to the High Court.

Shahbagh Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Khalid Mansur confirmed the incident around 6:30 pm on Thursday. He also said that 'A highly decorated police team trying their best to contact his family and to find out the reason.

Following the discovery on Thursday evening, the man’s fingerprints were matched with the national ID card database, confirming his identity as Ashraful Haque; son of Abdur Rashid. He was 43 years old. His home is in Shyampur, Badarganj, Rangpur.

According to reliable sources, on Thursday, between 2 and 2:30 pm, two people came in a van and left the two drums on the side of the road. When the stench spread in the evening, local people informed the police.

Masud Alam, deputy commissioner of the Ramna Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said: “After getting the information, I take an expert police team and rushed to the spot. Upon arrival, this two abandoned blue drums raised our suspicion. The drums were opened and we discovered rice in one and human body parts in the other."

"After completing initial check, the dismembered body wrapped in black polythene was taken out from the rice. The head was clearly visible and the face has a beard," he added.

Masud said that Police have yet to figure out who killed Ashraful and what is the reason behind this brutal murder. Efforts will be made to identify those involved after reviewing the footage from nearby CCTV cameras.

Shamsul Alam, a Union Parishad chairman from Ashraful’s village, said he used to be an import-export businessman at the Hili Land Port.

Ward Member Mahfuzar Rahman said Ashraful later started working as a real estate broker. He had two children: a son and a daughter.