9 British Bangladeshis Murdered in Bangladesh, 5 Mysterious Deaths

Driven by love for their homeland, nine British Bangladeshis returned to Bangladesh only to meet a brutal end through murder. Five other vibrant lives vanished into a maze of mysterious darkness. These events spanned the last three decades—a long stretch of time during which relatives' tears have since dried up. Yet, justice remains elusive, and the blood-soaked soil of their homeland still seeks answers for these atrocities.

Between 1996 and 2026, nine British Bangladeshis were murdered after traveling to Bangladesh, while five others died under mysterious circumstances over these 30 years. Yet, during this entire period, only a single case resulted in a conviction. Trial proceedings are currently ongoing for three murder cases, while the remaining five murders and five mysterious deaths remain buried under dusty stacks of court files.

Those who have lived in the UK for over 30 years cannot forget Surat Miah. On May 9, 1996, customs officials murdered this British Bangladeshi inside the airport security zone in Bangladesh.

From the 1996 murder of Surat Miah to the murder of Borhan on February 3, 2026, none of the cases involving the nine murders and five mysterious deaths of UK expatriates over the past 30 years have seen justice, with the exception of one.

Community leader K. M. Abu Taher Chowdhury, who was active in the movement seeking justice for Surat Miah's murder at the time, shared the details: On May 9, 1996, Surat Miah—a 35-year-old restaurant owner from Newcastle—landed at Dhaka Airport on a KLM flight. After Syed Siraj, also known as Surat Miah, arrived in Dhaka, a female customs officer noticed the £4,000 in cash he was carrying and demanded a bribe. Surat Miah challenged her request. An argument broke out, leading customs officials to launch a joint attack on him. They struck Surat Miah with a piece of wood, causing him to collapse to the ground. Initially, the customs officers considered dumping his body outside, but that proved impossible. They eventually took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

K. M. Abu Taher noted that following Surat Miah's murder, people across all levels of the community joined in protest. Over time, that movement faded away. Expatriates from various parts of Britain rallied to demand justice. Following a change of government in Bangladesh, community members were assured of justice and advised to step back from the protests. Later, a delegation met with then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to seek justice and traveled to Bangladesh, bringing back sensational findings. Regrettably, none of it yielded results. Although four customs officials were named in the charge sheet, all were acquitted due to a claimed lack of evidence. Justice was never served. Surat Miah's family still resides in Newcastle, where his children remain haunted by the grief of not securing justice for their father's murder.

Community activist Ahad Chowdhury Babu recounted another murder that occurred shortly after Surat Miah's death. He stated that in June 2001, Mughal Kureshi, a 22-year-old British Bangladeshi who lived in Stratford, East London, and hailed from Jagannathpur Upazila in Sunamganj District, was murdered while visiting Bangladesh. After taking a domestic flight from Sylhet to Dhaka, he was kidnapped in the morning from his designated airline transit hotel. The flight departed for London without him. Two days later, his body was recovered 10 miles from Dhaka Airport. A police investigation concluded that he was killed so his passport could be stolen. Following Mughal Kureshi's murder, major protests took place, including a demonstration surrounding the airline's office, but justice has still not been served.

In 2003, Dula Miah, a London expatriate, was murdered in Jagannathpur, Sunamganj, over a fishing dispute. Resolving this single case took 19 years, and even when a verdict was finally delivered in 2022, complete justice was not achieved.

On June 26, 2011, Haji Tahir Ali, an elderly resident of Rochdale, was killed in a masked attack after traveling to Bishwanath in Sylhet, Bangladesh. It is believed that the murder stemmed from a land dispute. More than 14 years have passed, yet justice in that case remains unserved as well.
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Nawab Uddin, former editor of Weekly Janomot—a publication printed in Britain for 57 years—shared the story of another horrific murder. He recounted that Rehana Begum lived in the Stepney Green area. She was an avid gardener and worked at a local health center. On July 17, 2013, she traveled to Patli village in the Jagannathpur Upazila of Sunamganj District, Bangladesh, alongside her husband and 12-year-old child. On August 2, she was stabbed 18 times and killed in front of her 12-year-old child. Four of her own relatives murdered her for gold and money. To this day, justice has not been served.

In January 2019, the body of another young British Bangladeshi, Jalal Uddin, was recovered from a rehab center in Sreemangal. His family had admitted him there for medical treatment, only to receive his body covered in numerous impact injuries. That murder also remains unpunished.

In July 2022, Cardiff resident Rafiqul and four family members—including his wife—died mysteriously inside their home in Osmani Nagar, Sylhet. What transpired that night as the family slept remains unknown. Although a rushed police investigation attributed their deaths to carbon monoxide poisoning during sleep, no further details regarding the incident have ever emerged.

On August 19, 2023, UK expatriate Jalal Uddin (55) was murdered by his own brother in Tajpur village, located in the Muriya Union of Beani Bazar, Sylhet. Originating from a land dispute, his brother and other relatives teamed up to beat Jalal Uddin to death on that day. They subsequently buried him quickly, claiming he died of a heart attack. Two months after the murder, when the victim's family in the UK petitioned the court regarding his death, an order was issued to exhumed the body for an autopsy. The investigation confirmed he had been beaten to death. Although Sunam Uddin, the primary suspect in the case, was arrested, the lawsuit remains pending. The victim's daughter, Zubaida Jalal, who filed the case, stated that there has been no progress in the murder trial and several suspects have yet to be apprehended.

On March 7, 2024, another UK expatriate, Abdul Kaiyum (45), fell victim to a brutal murder. According to local sources, expatriate Abdul Kaiyum had been embroiled in a long-standing land dispute with his neighbor, who was also his uncle. Several local arbitration sessions had been held regarding the matter. Driven by this conflict, at around 10:30 PM on Thursday, March 7, 2024, he was stabbed to death in the courtyard of his residence in the Rustampur Talpara area under Moglabazar Police Station in South Surma Upazila. During the attack, the doors of the house were locked from the outside so no one could come to his aid. Following the murder, the victim's wife filed a lawsuit, but that case has seen no progress either.

Most recently, on January 27 of this year, UK expatriate Borhan Uddin Shafi traveled to Bangladesh and went missing on January 30, just three days after his arrival. Three days later, his burned body was recovered in Zakiganj. Although the prime suspect was arrested following the incident, the trial remains ongoing. The slow pace of the court system has left the victim's grieving family frustrated. Will the sun of justice ever rise over the grief-stricken skies of those who lost their loved ones?