The 35-year-old correspondent of the Bangla-language SamakalDaily was critically injured in a stabbing attack at his home on July 7. He died from his injuries at a hospital in Dhaka the next day. Two men were arrested in relation to the murder. Sayem worked in Jibannagar Upazila, near the Bangla-India border. The region is known for arms and drug smuggling and Sayem wrote regularly about the trade as a crime reporter. He had previously received a number of threats for his reporting.