Bangladesh Police on Monday questioned media reports causing alarm over the fact that 605 murders were recorded across the country in 100 days of the BNP government, saying the figure lacked proper context and could create a misleading impression of the overall law and order situation.
In a statement issued in response to reports published on June 8 citing Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), Police Headquarters said a detailed analysis of official crime statistics showed several limitations in the way the figure had been presented.
According to police data, a total of 605 murder cases were recorded between March and April 2026.
Of the 605 cases, 336, or 55.5 percent, were linked to previous enmity, while 146 cases, or 24.1 percent, stemmed from family disputes. Another 69 cases, or 11.4 percent, were related to property and financial conflicts.
The remaining cases included 19 accidental incidents (3.1 percent), nine linked to dominance-related disputes (1.5 percent), six involving robbery-related killings (1 percent), five connected to love affairs or extramarital relationships (0.8 percent), 15 related to riots, banditry, abduction and other causes (2.4 percent), and three politically motivated killings (0.5 percent).
Police argued that the category-wise breakdown shows that the overwhelming majority of murders were linked to personal, family and socio-economic disputes rather than political violence.
The statement said the figure of 605 murders should not be interpreted as evidence of an unusual surge in killings. Based on long-term police statistics, annual murder cases in Bangladesh have generally ranged between 3,000 and 4,500 over the past decade.
If the two-month figure is projected over a full year, it would amount to about 3,630 cases, which falls within the historical range, Police Headquarters said.
It also noted that Bangladesh’s population is approximately 180 million. On that basis, the murder rate for the two-month period stood at 0.34 per 100,000 people, which, according to the statement, is not considered high by global standards.
The statement further said reports focusing only on the number of murder cases without considering population size, historical comparisons and the nature of the crimes could create unnecessary public concern.
Police Headquarters also pointed out that only three of the 605 murder cases were politically motivated, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total.
It added that recent improvements in case registration and documentation following changes in the country’s circumstances since August 5, 2024, should be seen as a sign of greater transparency and accountability rather than a deterioration in law and order.
Bangladesh Police urged institutions and organisations preparing crime-related reports to present complete analyses, including category-wise breakdowns, historical comparisons and population-based crime rates, to provide a more accurate picture of the situation.