Body of missing oil tanker driver recovered from Ctg coast, family claims murder

The body of Mohammad Mostafa Kamal, the driver of an oil tanker operating on domestic routes who had been missing since Friday afternoon, was recovered yesterday (27 April) from the Halishahar coast in Chattogram. 

Family members suspect that the ship's crew killed Kamal and threw his body into the sea which was later washed ashore.

Mostafa Kamal, aged 43, was a resident of Town Noapara in Fakirhat, Bagerhat, though his ancestral home is in Sandwip. For the past four years, he had been serving as the in-charge driver of the oil tanker MT Mercantile-21.

Mohammad Ekram Ullah, officer-in-charge of Sadarghat Naval Police Station, said the body was recovered around 3pm on Sunday. 

"After identification, we sent a message to the family and Hatiya Police Station where the family members filed a general dairy," he added.

The OC further said, "The body was sent to Chattogram Medical College Hospital for an autopsy and we are on the way to Hatiya to investigate the matter."    

The general diary, filed by Kamal's nephew Mohammad Afsarul Islam, stated that MT Mercantile-21 loaded oil at LG-4 Jetty of Chattogram Port and departed for Khulna on Friday around 2:30pm. According to the ship's master's logbook, when the vessel reached a location near Char Ishwar Kazi's Bazar under Hatiya jurisdiction, it was reported that the chief driver went missing.

However, the master of the ship did not report the matter over VHF radio communication, nor did he seek assistance from nearby vessels, says the GD.

The complaint further notes that instead of staying at Hatia Ghat, the ship moved from Kazi Bazar to Char Gojaria without informing Kamal's family or relatives about his disappearance. When the vessel anchored at Char Gojaria, the master announced via VHF that the ship was experiencing engine trouble and would anchor near the pilot house. This information was reportedly gathered from vessels traveling from Chattogram to Dhaka that day.

Kamal's family claimed that he was murdered in a premeditated way. They demanded a thorough investigation and punishment for those responsible behind the act.