A Bangladeshi student who went to Cyprus for higher studies was found dead in a forest there, claimed his family.

The victim, Shahriar Ahmed, also known as Emon, 22, hailed from village Lochanpur in Raipura upazila of Narsingdi district. He was the eldest son of Nasir Mia, a Bangladeshi expatriate living in Greece.

According to the family members, Shahriar went to Cyprass around three months ago on a student visa after enrolling online at a university there.

He had been living in Oroklini area of Larnaca and was sharing accommodation with another Bangladeshi, Raihan.

His family said Shahriar had been looking for a job to reduce the financial burden on his family which had been sending him around Tk 50,000 to Tk 60,000 every month for expenses.

On June 11, Shahriar informed his mother that he had secured a job and would begin work that night. He also shared the news with his father and the roommate.

Before leaving for work, his roommate Raihan asked him to send his location upon arrival.

At about 9:00pm local time, Shahriar sent his location via WhatsApp and Raihan replied with an ‘OK’ message, but Shahriar never viewed it, according to the family.

About an hour later, a message was sent from Shahriar’s WhatsApp account to his father claiming that he had been kidnapped and demanding a ransom of 35,000 euros for his release.

The message threatened to sell his eyes and kidneys if the money was not paid.

Initially, family members suspected that Shahriar’s WhatsApp account had been hacked.

However, when he did not return from work the following day, Raihan filed a report with the local police.

The family said that the WhatsApp account remained active and ransom demands continued for several days.

Shahriar’s younger brother, Nayan Ahmed, said the family eventually agreed to negotiate with the kidnappers and settled on a ransom amount equivalent to Tk 5 lakh.

‘On Sunday, we went to the bank to send the money. We wanted to speak to my brother first using his phone which was with the kidnappers. But their behaviour and responses made us suspicious and we decided not to transfer the money,’ said Nayan.

Later that night, the family learned that Cyprus police arrested a Bangladeshi national, identified as Shahin Babu, 22, in connection with the case.

According to the family members, police recovered Shahriar’s body from a forest based on information provided by the suspect.

Investigators also recovered a knife believed to have been used in the killing.

The family said Cyprus police have not disclosed the suspect’s home district in Bangladesh.

Raipura upazila nirbahi officer Md Masud Rana said he heard that a Bangladeshi national has been arrested in connection with the abduction and murder of a student in Cyprus.

‘However, we have not yet received any official communication from the Cyprus Embassy regarding the matter, nor has the victim’s family contacted us for assistance,’ he said.

‘If the family seeks support, necessary measures will be taken through the ministry concerned,’ said the UNO.