Two farmers who were abducted from a watch hut in a paddy field in Eidgarh under Ramu upazila of Cox’s Bazar have returned home after their families paid a ransom. The kidnappers released them on Monday night in the Himchhari Dhala area of Ramu, nearly 24 hours after the abduction.
The victims are Mahmudul Haque (Madu), son of Ferdous Miaji, and Chaiyad Kasem, son of Sultan Ahmed, both residents of the Dhumchhakata area of Eidgarh in Ramu upazila.
According to local sources, the two farmers were staying in a watch hut in their paddy field after having sehri early Monday morning. At that time, a group of criminals abducted them from the hut and took them away. The kidnappers later contacted their families and demanded a large sum of money as ransom.
Mahmudul Haque, one of the victims, told this correspondent,
“We had gone to guard the paddy field after having sehri and were sleeping in the tong ghar [watch hut]. Suddenly, several armed men came, blindfolded us and took us away. Later, they called our families and demanded ransom, threatening to kill us if the money was not paid.”
“After our family members sent the money through bKash, they released us. We are now safe and have returned to our families,” he said.
However, he declined to disclose the amount of ransom paid.
The other victim, Chaiyad Kasem, said several men came and forcibly took them away in the early morning.
“They were threatening us with weapons. Later, they contacted our families and demanded money. After receiving the payment, they released us in the Himchhari Dhala area at night, nearly 24 hours later,” he said.
Family members said the two farmers safely returned home.
Following the incident, fear has spread throughout the area. Local residents have demanded that the kidnappers be identified and brought to justice without delay.
Confirming the incident, SI Khorshed Alam, in-charge of the Eidgarh Police Outpost, said based on the victims’ statements, legal action will be taken against those involved.
Officer in Charge (OC) of Ramu Police Station, Monirul Islam Bhuiyan, told TIMES of Bangladesh that they are speaking with the victims to gather detailed information about the incident. Police are conducting an investigation to identify those involved and bring them under the law, he said.
