Agartala, May 14: After several days of uncertainty and desperate efforts by family members to trace him, the body of a missing youth from Tripura was brought back from Bangladesh on Thursday through the Manu Land Customs point in Kailashahar after completion of legal formalities between authorities of the two countries.
The deceased was identified as Nityananda Malakar, around 30 years old, a resident of the Durgapur area under Ward No. 15 of Kailashahar Municipal Council in Unakoti district.
According to family members, Nityananda had been missing since May 9. His elder brother, Amrit Malakar, alleged that two of Nityananda’s friends — identified as Montosh Malakar and Bijoy Nam — had called him over the phone and taken him away on the day he disappeared. When Nityananda failed to return home, the family began searching for him and later lodged a missing diary at Kailashahar Police Station.
Family members also questioned the two individuals regarding his whereabouts, but they allegedly denied having any information about him.
The case took a tragic turn when the family came across social media reports mentioning that the body of an unidentified youth had been recovered from the Manu River under Kulaura Police Station in neighbouring Bangladesh. After seeing photographs and details circulating online, relatives suspected the deceased might be Nityananda.
Subsequently, authorities from both India and Bangladesh initiated official procedures to verify the identity of the body. After confirmation, the body was formally handed over on Thursday afternoon in the presence of officials from Bangladesh Police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Kailashahar Police and customs authorities.
Kailashahar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Tapas Malakar, DCM Hemanta Dhar and other officials were present during the handover process at the border point.
After the body reached Kailashahar, grieving family members identified the deceased. Police officials said the body would be handed over to the family after completion of the post-mortem examination.
Meanwhile, the victim’s family has demanded a fair and thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Nityananda Malakar’s death. He is survived by his elderly mother, four brothers and other family members.
