Savar six murders: Suspect identified as Sabuj Sheikh, was arrested twice before
Following interrogation, Sabuj confessed to killing six people. “He does not say ‘kill.’ He refers to each murder as ‘thirty-four’ and says, ‘I did thirty-four to six people,’” police says
Police investigations into a string of six brutal killings in Savar have revealed that the arrested man long known to locals as Mashirur Rahman Samrat is in fact Sabuj Sheikh, a 40-year-old from Munshiganj. He had previously been arrested twice on drug-related charges at Savar Model Police Station, using different aliases each time.
The identity and prior criminal history of Sabuj Sheikh were confirmed to The Business Standard by Arafatul Islam, Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime, Ops and Traffic – North) of Dhaka District.
According to police, Sabuj was arrested in 2019 and again in 2023 in narcotics cases, but on both occasions he used different names – first "Md Samrat" and later "Tiger Samrat." During his most recent arrest, he identified himself as Mashirur Rahman Khan Samrat, which initially created confusion during verification.
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"Because he used different names at different times, we could not immediately connect his previous cases," Arafatul Islam said. "Once we cross-checked the father's name and other details, we found that he was earlier accused in drug cases at Savar Model Police Station. We are now investigating whether he has a criminal history in other districts as well."
Police said Sabuj Sheikh does not possess a national identity card, and fingerprint verification has so far failed to produce any official records, further complicating efforts to trace his past.
The string of killings came to light after police recovered two unidentified, partially burnt bodies from the abandoned Savar Municipal Community Centre on Sunday, 18 January.
CCTV footage from the area showed Sabuj's presence at the scene, leading to his arrest later that night from the Mukti Mor area of Savar. Although he initially gave false personal details, investigators eventually confirmed his true identity.
According to police, Sabuj frequently called police officers from various stations, making incoherent or provocative remarks. Two days before the discovery of the burned bodies, he allegedly phoned a police officer and told him to "recover two bodies."
During interrogation, Sabuj claimed responsibility for six killings, referring to each murder cryptically as "thirty-four." Investigators said he repeatedly stated, "I've done thirty-four to six people."
Inspector (Operations) Md Helal Uddin of Savar Model Police Station said Sabuj had long been under informal surveillance due to his unusual behaviour. "He was known locally as mentally unstable," the officer said.
"He often called police officers, including me, without reason, making strange statements. On the evening before the latest killings, he called me and said, 'CID, PBI, Savar police – recover two bodies.' I scolded him and disconnected the call."
Later that night, police visited the abandoned community centre out of suspicion and found a woman inside the building, while Sabuj was seen wandering nearby. Officers searched his bag and found lists containing the names and phone numbers of police officers from Savar Model Police Station and Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station.
At the time, no bodies were found. The following day, when the burned corpses were discovered and CCTV footage was reviewed, Sabuj's involvement became clear and he was arrested.
During prolonged interrogation and in a confessional statement before the court, Sabuj admitted to killing six people over several months. Police said he gave inconsistent explanations regarding his motives.
In court, he claimed he targeted people involved in "antisocial activities." Earlier, during police questioning, he said he killed anyone who tried to occupy or stay in the places where he lived, as he could not tolerate sharing those spaces.
The murders were committed in and around the abandoned Savar Municipal Community Centre and nearby areas, including close to Savar Model Mosque. The first victim, Asma Begum, 75, was found dead behind a tea stall near the mosque on 4 July last year. Initially believed to be a natural death, a post-mortem later confirmed she had been strangled.
Subsequent discoveries followed a disturbing pattern: an unidentified man's decomposed body on 29 August, an unidentified woman's body on 11 October, a partially burned male body on 19 December, and finally two burned bodies on 18 January.
One of the most recent victims has been identified as Tania Akter (25), an autistic woman who went missing from Uttara on 1 January. Her family had filed a general diary at the local police station. She was identified through a video recorded at the community centre a day before her death, which later circulated on social media. Sabuj reportedly confirmed her identity in court, stating she was known to him as Sonia. He also told the court that the other burned body belonged to a transgender person, though police said DNA testing is required for confirmation.
Local residents described Sabuj as a mysterious and unsettling figure who had roamed the Savar municipal area for nearly three years. He was often seen near the upazila health complex, police station and bus stand, changing clothes multiple times a day, using both smartphones and basic phones, wearing headphones, and playing loud music on small but expensive speakers. Some locals thought he was mentally ill, while others suspected he might be linked to an intelligence agency.
"He changed clothes five to seven times a day," said tea stall owner Ashraf Ali. "He wore expensive shoes and clothes. People thought he was mad, but I didn't think so. I thought he might be a detective."
Police said Sabuj had lived at different times near Savar Model Mosque and later inside the abandoned community centre, a dilapidated two-storey building with broken doors and windows, burned walls and an open septic tank at the back.
Arafatul Islam said the investigation is ongoing. "We brought him under the law very quickly after the recovery of the bodies," he said. "Despite his attempts to mislead us, we verified his identity and background. We are continuing to investigate whether he was involved in any other crimes beyond what we have already uncovered."
