Sagar Biswas :
Five days after abduction, the official of IFIC Bank Shamim Ahmed was released blindfolded by unidentified persons in the city’s Motijheel area on Monday late night.
Shamim Ahmed was abducted from in front of ‘Khana Basmoti’ restaurant opposite to Baitul Mukarram Masjid at Purana Palton while he was going there for having launch at around 1:40pm on August 23.
The kidnappers, numbering nine to ten persons, were waiting at the restaurants. Entire kidnapping episode was recorded in the CCTV cameras installed in and outside the restaurants.
Victim’s wife Shiply Ahmed on Tuesday said she was informed about his [husband] release after her husband phoned her from an unknown number at about 11:30 pm on Monday.
“Shamim was abandoned by the abductors at a place of Motijheel. Getting help from the locals, he rang me and informed about his release. Later, our family members rushed to the spot and rescued him. At first, he was taken to a relative’s house,” Shilpy said.
Elaborating the incident, she said Shamim’s mobile phone was switched off for the last few days during his abduction. Besides, his eyes were blindfolded constantly at that time. Now, he is well and staying at our Fatullah house, she added.
Earlier, Shiply Ahmed filed a General Diary with the Palton Model Police Station in connection with the abduction of her husband. Police, however, could not nab anybody in connection with the incident till the
When contacted, Investigation Officer and Sub Inspector of Palton Police Station Saidul Islam told The New Nation last night, “The victim and his wife went to the police station yesterday morning. But they did not complain specifically against anybody. Even, they are not interested to file any case also.”
Do you think members of any security agency are involved in the kidnapping? The IO said, “The abducted person can tell it clearly. But he is keeping mum. We’ve analyzed CCTV footages and it was clear that Shamim was forcefully taken away by a gang of kidnappers.”
Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission [NHRC] has expressed grave concern over the recent abductions including the kidnapping of two businessmen and a banker in the last six days where the kidnappers introduced themselves as the members of law enforcement agencies.
The NHRC, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said a total of 52 people were kidnapped in six months from January to June this year.
In another incident, a group of plain-clothed men abducted Sadat Ahmed, BNP leader and Managing Director of ABN Group, intercepting his private car under the Banani flyover in the capital on August 22. His wife filed an abduction case with the Cantonment Police Station in this connection.
Sadat, son of former army officer Syed Shahabuddin, is member of BNP national executive committee and Vice-President of BNP Chittagong South Unit, was taking preparations to contest in the next parliamentary elections in Raozan, according to his family members.
On August 27, a gang of plain-clothed abductors picked up Aniruddha Roy from in front of Union Bank at 72 Gulshan Avenue in the city. Local people including gatekeepers of adjacent offices said that Aniruddha was taken away boarding a silver-colour microbus.
Wife of the victim, Swashati Roy, filed a GD with the Gulshan police station in this connection. In the complaint, Swashati said that her husband was picked up at 4:19pm by three unidentified persons while he was coming out of Union Bank. Car driver of the victim Shah Alam and some other gatekeepers of nearby offices were eyewitnesses.
Against this backdrop, the NHRC statement further said it has given “priority to the abduction” of Honorary Consul of Belarus Aniruddha Kumar Roy and asked the Secretary to the Public Security Division, Home Ministry, to submit a report after an investigation over the abduction.
“The NHRC has already taken cognisance of some incidents of abduction and enforced disappearance as suo moto,” the commission in its statement added.
Allegations have been raised that Aniruddha has been kidnapped following a conflict over business with a powerful ruling party lawmaker, who was his former partner.
A senior police official of Gulshan Division preferring anonymity told The New Nation last night that “trained and professional persons” kidnapped Aniruddha. The official, however, refrained from making any comment whether he was kidnapped by the members of any law enforcement agency.
