A viral video showing a security guard being carried away in a white sack in Dhaka’s Pallabi was a staged “abduction drama” planned by the guard himself due to severe family and financial distress.
Police found no evidence of a genuine kidnapping regarding the missing security guard, 50-year-old Md Nazrul Islam. Following an analysis of CCTV footage and investigation, police stated that Nazrul went into hiding with the assistance of an associate to escape his personal crises.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Mirpur Division Md Mostak Sarkar disclosed these findings during a press conference on Monday evening.
Rescue and arrest
On Monday morning, Pallabi Police rescued Nazrul during an operation on a fishing vessel named “Sea Heart-2” located in the middle of the Karnaphuli River in Chattogram. In connection with the incident, police arrested his associate, 26-year-old Hasan Tarek alias Ripon, in Dhaka.
Nazrul is from Bekar Kona village under Madhupur Police Station in Tangail. He has been employed for about 16 to 17 years as a security guard at The Salvation Army Tuberculosis and Leprosy Clinic in Avenue-2, Block-A, Pallabi, earning a monthly salary of around Tk17,000. Additionally, he worked as a cook for residents staying in a local mess.
Nazrul joined his night guard shift at approximately 10pm on 10 September. When he was found missing from his workplace the following day, clinic authorities reviewed the CCTV footage, which subsequently circulated widely on social media.
The footage showed a man carrying Nazrul inside a white sack to the main gate at around 4:45am on 11 September. At around 5:45am, Nazrul emerged from the sack on his own and sat near the gate, before leaving the location in a rickshaw alongside the man.
Observing no visible force or coercion in the video, police deemed the incident suspicious and launched a formal investigation.
Family dispute
Initial police inquiries revealed that Nazrul has two wives and two children, with both families residing in Tangail. From his Tk17,000 monthly salary, he provided around Tk3,000 per month to each family—totalling Tk6,000—and used the remaining funds to pay loan instalments.
Recently, Nazrul had an argument over family matters with his first wife, Rokeya Begum. His wife informed police that Nazrul had spoken of committing suicide during the altercation.
However, abandoning the thought of suicide, he decided to plan his disappearance to escape domestic and financial pressures.
Execution of the staged abduction
To execute his disappearance, Nazrul enlisted the help of Ripon, his cousin’s son who resided in the same mess. On the morning of the incident, Ripon entered the guard room carrying a white sack containing Nazrul’s bag of clothes.
Nazrul then climbed into the sack himself, and Ripon carried him to the main gate. From there, they travelled to Gabtoli bus stand by auto-rickshaw, where Nazrul boarded a Shyamoli Paribahan bus heading to the AK Khan area in Chattogram.
Upon reaching Chattogram, Nazrul contacted an acquaintance named ‘Russel’ and stayed at his house in the Ichhanagar area of Karnaphuli. Through Russel, Nazrul secured a job as a cook on the fishing vessel “Sea Heart-2”, where he remained until police rescued him on Monday morning.
Police investigations highlighted severe financial strain on Nazrul, revealing that he owed approximately Tk6 lakh to Tk7 lakh in principal and interest to various individuals and organisations.
He had also incurred debt recently for the wedding of his daughter from his second marriage. His son, Rifat, informed police that his father had recently borrowed about Tk3 lakh from a bank.
DC Md Mostak Sarkar stated that the prolonged burden of supporting two families, funding a child’s wedding, and repaying loan instalments placed Nazrul under continuous financial and family strain.
Police statement and public advisory
DC Sarkar noted that based on CCTV footage, preliminary questioning, and investigative findings, the incident was a pre-planned disappearance and a staged abduction drama rather than an actual kidnapping.
However, police are continuing to examine whether any other individuals were involved or if there was an alternative motive.
Emphasising that a full investigation remains underway, the DC urged the public to inform law enforcement agencies immediately regarding missing persons or alleged abductions, and requested everyone to refrain from spreading unverified information on social media.
