Missing Bangladesh MP found dead under mysterious circumstances in Kolkata
Bangladesh MP Anwarul Azim, who was reported missing for eight days in Kolkata, was found dead under suspicious circumstances on Wednesday, according to Bangladeshi news portal Risingbd. Azim had arrived in Kolkata for medical treatment on May 12 and disappeared two days later. His body was recovered from an abandoned flat in Sanjeeva Garden in Kolkata's New Town early Wednesday, The Business Standard reported.
Investigation underway into MP Azim's suspicious death
The flat where Azim's body was found reportedly belongs to an excise duty official. Police suspect that the MP was murdered and his body dumped in Newtown, as per NDTV. During the search operations, a dismembered body was also discovered in the area, but it has not yet been identified. Bangladesh's Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan stated, "Quoting a DIG from India, our police said the body of Azim has been recovered in Kolkata."
Unconfirmed details and potential leads in Azim's case
The Inspector General of the Bangladesh police is investigating if gold smuggling was involved in Azim's case. Azim's personal assistant, Abdur Rauf, revealed that the MP maintained contact with his family and party members for two days after arriving in India, but his phone has been switched off since May 14. He was last seen with his Bangladeshi friends, as per a CNN-News18 source.
Family's efforts and unusual circumstances surrounding Azim's disappearance
Azim's family had raised concerns with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who alerted diplomats in Delhi and Kolkata to trace Azim. His daughter, Mumtarin Ferdoush, lodged a complaint about her father's disappearance with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Intelligence Department on Tuesday and rushed to Kolkata upon hearing the news of her father's death. Senior Bangladesh intelligence officer Mohammad Haroon Rashid revealed that Azim used Bangladeshi and Indian SIM cards while in India, which were intermittently active but remained unreachable.
Azim often visited India
Azim frequently traveled to India for medical treatment and was quite familiar with Kolkata, even making some acquaintances. At the time of his disappearance, he was staying at his friend Gopal Biswas's house in Baranagar, West Bengal. Biswas filed the missing case with the Kolkata police after Azim said he would try to return on May 12 or the following day. The MP reportedly left his possessions at his friend's house, leaving empty-handed.
