Five days ago, four children went out to a nearby playground, telling their parents they would return before sundown. Little did the parents know that it would be their kids' last outing. 

As the four did not come back home, families mounted a search that night at Sundrateki village in Bahubal upazila of Habiganj. But they found no trace of the children.

Worried sick, the parents went everywhere -- neighbours' homes, police station, playgrounds and bushes -- and looked frantically for the apple of their eyes over the next four days.

Yesterday, the kids finally returned home but dead. Their bodies were found buried under sand at a place around a kilometre off their village.

The ill-fated children are Monir Miah, 7, son of Afjal Miah; Zakaria Shuvo, 8, son of Abdul Wahid Miah; Mohammad Tajel Mia, 10, son of Abdul Aziz; and Ismail Miah, 10, son of Abdul Kader.

Monir, Shuvo and Tajel were cousins and students of class I, II and IV at Sundrateki Government Primary School. Ismail was studying at a local madrasa, said Mosharraf Hossain, officer-in-charge of Bahubal Police Station.

Police and victims' relatives suspect that the murders could be a result of rivalry between two groups of local panchayat (village arbitration).

OC Mosharraf said the children went missing from a playground near their home around 3:00pm on Friday. A general dairy was lodged with the police station the next day.

Using loudspeakers, the parents requested all to inform them about the kids, if they had any.

Devastated, relatives of the children on their way to the spot. Photo: Mintu Deshwara

On Sunday, Joydev Kumar Bhadra, superintendent of police in Habiganj, visited the village and declared a reward of Tk 20,000 for information leading to the rescue of the kids.

Around 10:30am yesterday, a labourer while working at a balu mahal (a place from where sand is extracted) in Kamaichhara area first noticed a hand sticking out of sand there.

Immediately, he informed the villagers about it. A crowd gathered at the scene soon after. The parents too rushed there. Together, they dug out the bodies one after another. A pall of gloom descended on the area after the bodies were identified as those of the children.

The bodies were handed over to the police later for autopsies.

A murder case was filed with Bahubal Police Station. Later, the case was handed over to the Detective Branch of police and its OC Moktadir Hossain was given the charge of investigation.

Visiting the spot after the recovery of the bodies, Mizanur Rahman, deputy inspector general of police (Sylhet range), told reporters that they suspect the children might have been murdered out of rivalry between two groups of panchayat.

However, he declined to name any suspect.

Also, he declared Tk 100,000 reward for any information leading the capture of the killers.

Talking to this correspondent, Afjal Miah, father of victim Monir, said there had been a longstanding dispute between two groups of local panchayat -- one led by Abdul Ali and the other by Abdul Khalique Master.

He said their group had clashed with the men loyal to Abdul Ali last month over cutting down trees in the area. He believed the kids were kidnapped and murdered following that.

Last night, Abdul Ali and Jewel Ali, another local, were detained at the village for their alleged involvement in the murders, said police adding that the two were being interrogated.

Meanwhile, Zakaria's father Wahid Miah alleged that the police did not take any effective measures to find out the children even a day after the GD was filed.

OC Mosharraf outright rejected the allegation.

He also claimed that no one demanded any ransom from the families following the kidnap of the children.

Their bodies were buried in the village yesterday evening.