The death of Babul Islam, a stone and sand trader of Sylhet's Companiganj, is still shrouded in mystery.

After his body was found by the side of a road on April 12, police said the 48-year-old might have died in a motorcycle accident.

But his widow Asma Khatun and other family members insist that Babul was killed, and she filed a murder case yesterday.

Asma and her son Sazzadul Islam allege that police earlier refused to record the case.

The case was filed as hundreds of locals held a rally in Islampur area where Babul lived, demanding a proper investigation into the death. Residents also demonstrated on April 13.

Golam Dastagir Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Companiganj Police Station, refuted Asma's allegation.

According to the complaint, after receiving a phone call from his business partner Akkas Ali near midnight on Thursday, Babul left home with his motorcycle.

Before leaving, he told his wife that there was a problem at the sand extraction site. His phone was found unreachable afterwards, it adds.

After daybreak, locals found his body and the motorcycle in a roadside ditch, says the complaint, adding that unidentified attackers beat him to death and dumped the body there.

When contacted by this correspondent, Akkas said, "Babul and I were together that evening. He then went home. I called and asked him to come to the site late at night because a machine malfunctioned. After a while, I found his phone unreachable. But a business competitor is out to make it seem like I am behind Babul's death."

Babul's son Sazzadul Islam said, "The front side of his motorcycle was fine. The rear side was badly damaged. It was found almost 10 feet away from the body. The scene did not look like there was an accident.

"The motorcycle's ignition key was switched off. So was the phone in his pocket. At one place, it seems like the motorcycle was damaged by a shovel."

He further said, "After days of dilly-dallying, police finally registered the case as we refrained from mentioning any names in the complaint."

Babul's uncle Kamal Hossain, a lawyer, said, "It is almost clear that it was a planned murder."

Rafiqul Islam, additional superintendent (crime) of Sylhet District Police, said, "We are waiting for the autopsy report. We believe many issues will be clarified after that."