Trader rescued 52 hours after abduction
Tue Jan 7, 2025 12:00 AM
Five arrested
A trader was rescued yesterday, 52 hours after his abduction from Kalaiya Bazar of Patuakhali’s Bauphal upazila.
Police arrested five people, including a minor, in this connection.
The victim, Shibananda Roy Banik, alias Shibu Banik, was rescued from the Kachua area of the upazila, during a joint drive of police and Rab around 1:30am yesterday.
Shibu, 76, is a wholesaler of grocery items at Kalaiya Bazar.
The arrestees are Masud Sharif, 24, Miraj Mridha, 20, Zahir Pyada, 27, Bidhan Mistry, 22, and a juvenile (name withheld).
Police also recovered Tk 1.35 lakh looted from Shibu’s shop, sharp weapons, and six mobile phones from the arrestees.
Anwar Zahid, superintendent of Patuakhali police, shared the information with reporters at a press conference at his office yesterday afternoon.
He said the gang abducted the trader for ransom.
It has initially been confirmed that nine people were involved in the incident. Efforts are underway to arrest the other four, he said.
Lawyer Anuradha Roy Banik, Shibu’s niece, told The Daily Star Shibu’s wife received a call from an unknown number on Saturday afternoon, and the caller demanded a ransom of Tk 1 crore.
They sent Tk 96,000 to kidnappers via mobile financial services on Sunday and informed police of the matter.
Through mobile tracking, a team of police and Rab members raided Boro Dalimar village in Kachua area and rescued Shibu, said SP Zahid, adding the kidnappers fled sensing the presence of law enforcers.
Police later held the five from different places and showed them arrested in an abduction case filed with Bauphal Police Station.
Atiqul Islam, inspector (investigation) of Bauphal Police Station, said Shibu was taken to Bauphal Health Complex for a medical check-up and later handed over to his family.
Around 10:15pm on Friday, a group of masked abductors looted over Tk 5 lakh from Shibu’s shop, tied up two of his employees, and abducted him using a trawler.
Meanwhile, Officer-in-Charge Salauddin of Bauphal river police outpost was withdrawn yesterday for his failure to take immediate action, the SP added.
