Police recovered the hanging body of a 26-year-old Pakistani national from a flat in South Banasree in the capital on Tuesday morning.

The deceased was identified as Mohammad Shahbaz, who had been living in Bangladesh for the past year, according to Khilgaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge Saiful Islam.

Police initially suspected that Shahbaz might have died by suicide amid frustration over debts and marital discord.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (Khilgaon Zone) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Motijheel Division, Mohsin Al Murad, said Shahbaz had been in debt and had disagreements with his wife over the issue.

Police said a security guard found him hanging inside the flat at House No. 38 on Road No. 9/5, Block F, South Banasree, on Tuesday morning and informed police. Khilgaon police went to the spot, broke open the door and recovered the body.

He was taken to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead at 10:50am. The body was kept at the hospital morgue for an autopsy.

OC Saiful told UNB that police recovered Shahbaz’s Pakistani passport, bearing a Bangladeshi visa valid until December.

During the preliminary investigation, police learned that Shahbaz was involved in sending people abroad for employment.

Police also found a note containing two phone numbers in the flat. One was identified as his brother’s number in Pakistan, while the other belonged to his wife, a woman from Patuakhali.

Contacting the woman, police learned that she married Shahbaz about a month ago, the OC said.

According to the preliminary investigation, Shahbaz had previously married a woman from the Marma community, who later divorced him and left.

Police have sent a copy of his passport to the relevant department of the Special Branch for further information about his identity and background, Saiful said, adding that the Pakistani High Commission in Dhaka was also informed of the matter.