Five Madrasah Students Go Missing in 12 Days in Sherpur, Three Vanish on Same Day

A wave of deep anxiety and panic has spread across the Nalitabari Upazila of Sherpur district following the mysterious disappearance of five madrasah students within a span of just 12 days. Adding to the intense community concern, three of these students vanished on the exact same day, sparking widespread alarm across the locality. The missing children are all aged between 11 and 15 years old.

Local authorities and family members have launched separate searches, while law enforcement officials are actively investigating whether there is a coordinated link behind these consecutive disappearances.

A Timeline of the Disappearances

According to police and local sources, the first incident occurred on May 27 at around 10:00 AM. Israfil, 15, a student at a local Hafezia madrasah and son of Abdul Hai from Burunga Kalapani village, left his house under the pretext of going to a nearby shop and never returned. Despite extensive searches by his family across various potential locations, his whereabouts remain unknown.

The second disappearance took place on Saturday, June 6. Khandaker Mashrafi, 13, a student at the Tahfizul Quran Model Madrasah located in Nalitabari town's Araiani Bazar, went missing after stepping out of his educational institution. Mashrafi is the son of Khandaker Mubarak Hossain from Panchgaon village.

The situation escalated drastically on Sunday, June 7, when three more students vanished simultaneously during the afternoon. Rabbani, 11, son of Ukil Miah; Tofael, 12, son of Manik Miah; and Rasel, 13, son of Abdul Awal, disappeared together from the Iqra Model Hafezia Madrasah in Panchgaon village. All three boys hail from the same village, and their sudden, collective disappearance on a single day has sent shockwaves through the entire area.

Police Investigation and Parental Anxiety

Local sources revealed that among the three who vanished on Sunday, Rabbani and Tofael had a history of running away from home in the past, after which they were traced and recovered from the residences of various relatives. It was also reported that they were generally inattentive to their academic studies. However, the fact that a third student disappeared alongside them this time has significantly heightened the fears of their guardians and the wider community.

Desperate to locate their children, the families stated that they have exhausted all personal channels, looking through relatives' homes and likely destinations without yielding any clues. They have urgently sought the immediate intervention of law enforcement agencies to track down the missing boys.

Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police (Nalitabari Circle), Afsan Al Alam, confirmed that formal General Diaries (GD) have already been registered at the police station by the families of Israfil and Mashrafi. Furthermore, the guardians of the three students who went missing from Panchgaon have also approached the police station to file corresponding General Diaries. The police official assured that dedicated teams are conducting necessary searches, gathering intelligence, and utilizing tracking methods to rescue the children safely. As rumors and public concern continue to grow in the locality, the police are treating the matter with high priority to determine if a singular element connects these five cases.