Dhaka, Dec. 25 -- Police have recovered the body of Md Shamsuddin, who was caught in a deadly gunfight between rival groups over control of a sandbar in Hatia Upazila of Noakhali.

Hatia Police chief Saiful Alam said the body was recovered around 5pm on Thursday from a canal inside a forested area of Jaglar Char.

Shamsuddin was described by police as the leader of the "Kopa Shamsu" group. With the recovery, the death toll from the clash now stands at six.

On Tuesday, police recovered five bodies, including Shamsu's college-going son Mobarak Hossain Sihab, 23, following a daylong exchange of gunfire between the Shamsu group and the Alauddin group over control of Jaglar Char.

Police had initially included Shamsu among the dead that eveni...