47 Human Skulls Recovered in Dhaka; 4 Arrested Including Two Dental Students
The operation, conducted late Monday night on March 9, 2026, led to the arrest of four members of an organized syndicate. Notably, two of the detainees were identified as senior dental students. Deputy Commissioner (Media) Muhammad Talebur Rahman confirmed the details of the operation during a press briefing held shortly after the midnight raids.
The investigation revealed that the syndicate was operating out of a residential apartment in Sector 9 of Uttara, which served as a warehouse for the stolen remains. The arrested students were identified as Kazi Johurul Islam Soumik, a final-year student at Sapporo Dental College, and Md. Faisal Ahmed, who was awaiting his internship at the same institution. The other two associates, Md. Abul Kalam and Asadul Munshi Jasim Ershad, allegedly assisted in the logistics of the trade. According to police reports, the group had been sourcing these remains by desecrating graves in various cemeteries across the country to sell them to medical students or other illegal buyers.
The breakthrough occurred when the Tejgaon Thana police initially detained Soumik near Manipuri Para with a single skeleton in his possession. His subsequent interrogation led officers to his accomplices and the main stash in Uttara, where 44 of the 47 skulls were found. While the suspects claimed the bones were intended for educational purposes, the scale of the recovery and the lack of legal documentation suggest a widespread commercial smuggling operation. Police are now expanding their investigation to identify the specific cemeteries that were targeted and to determine if any other medical professionals are involved in this macabre trade.
