The 43 baby crocodiles that went missing from the Koromjol saltwater crocodile breeding centre in the Sundarbans are suspected to have been killed by the thieves. The body parts of six of the crocodiles have reportedly been found in different parts of the forest near the centre. Of the 177 baby crocodiles being reared at the forest department’s Koromjal breeding centre, 43 went missing on January 29.  Saidul Islam, divisional forest officer (DFO) of the Sundarbans (East) zone, told reporters on Thursday night that their preliminary investigation indicates that poachers have killed the animals. This centre is the first one in the country to artificially rear saltwater crocodiles. It was set up by the government in 2002 under the bio-diversity conservation plan at a cost of Tk. 32 lakh. The forest department was given the charge of rearing them. The DFO said two severed heads and a tail were found. He added that further details would be available when the full report of  inquiry committee, headed by the assistant conservator of forests (ACF), Mehediuzzaman, would be available. The committee was formed when the baby crocodiles were reported to have gone missing on January 29-30 from the enclosure of their parents.
It was suspected that an employee of the breeding centre, Mahbubub Hossain, had a row with the officer-in-charge of the centre, Touhidul Islam, on the evening of January 29. Preliminary investigations suggest that Mahbubub wanted to put Touhid in trouble by removing the baby crocodiles with the help of another disgruntled part-time employee, Zakir Hossain.