Police have arrested eight people in Chattogram on charges of abducting a businessman over a commercial dispute and demanding a ransom of Tk50 lakh.
Two days after his abduction, the businessman was rescued from an abandoned cottage belonging to the Forest Department inside Mahamaya Lake in Zorarganj, Mirsarai.
The arrests were made during day-long drives across various areas of Chattogram on Wednesday, during which police also recovered the victim’s mobile phone.
Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Deputy Commissioner (North) Md Hasan Mostafa Swapan confirmed the developments to the media on Thursday.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Md Abul Hashem, 52—a named accused in the case FIR—alongside Akram, 34, Shanto Miah, 32, Moin Uddin Rayhan, 29, Amjad Hossain, 35, Mahbub Rahman, 26, Manik Hossain, 30, and Md Faruk, 34.
According to Panchlaish Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mozammel Hoque, the rescued businessman is Md Helal Uddin, 36, a resident of the Hathazari area who operates a motor garage near Rowshan Boarding in the Shulakbahar area under Panchlaish Police Station.
Case details reveal that Abul Hashem and Helal Uddin were former acquaintances and business partners. Hashem had invested Tk9.30 lakh in the business, and whilst Helal had repaid Tk4.61 lakh at different times, a dispute persisted over the remaining Tk4.69 lakh. According to the complaint, Hashem had been threatening Helal for some time to recover the outstanding sum.
On Monday at around 3:30pm, Abul Hashem and several accomplices arrived in front of Rowshan Boarding in Shulakbahar in a white microbus. They intimidated Helal Uddin and forcibly bundled him into the vehicle before taking him to an unknown location.
The following morning, Tuesday, the abductors telephoned Helal’s wife, Jesmin Akter, from the victim’s mobile phone, demanding a ransom of Tk50 lakh for his release and threatening to kill him if the money was not paid. They subsequently called again, asking for Tk1 lakh to be sent.
Following the incident, Jesmin Akter lodged a case with Panchlaish Model Police Station on Tuesday, prompting police to launch an immediate investigation.
Based on information technology and intelligence, police arrested Shanto Miah from the Uttar Kattali area under Akbar Shah Police Station at around 3:30pm on Wednesday.
Information provided by Shanto Miah led to the arrest of Abul Hashem from the Mohammadpur area under Panchlaish Police Station. Based on Hashem’s statements, police then arrested Akram from the Latifpur area under Akbar Shah Police Station and recovered Helal Uddin’s mobile phone from his possession.
During interrogation, Shanto Miah and Akram revealed that Helal was being held in the Mahamaya Lake area of Zorarganj. With the assistance of Mirsarai and Zorarganj police stations, a raid was conducted on an abandoned Forest Department cottage inside Mahamaya Lake.
Police arrested Moin Uddin Rayhan, Amjad Hossain, Mahbub Rahman, Manik Hossain and Faruk from the spot and rescued Helal Uddin.
Police stated that during initial questioning, the arrestees admitted to kidnapping Helal to collect the outstanding business debt. Initial interrogation further revealed that Abul Hashem and Akram had paid Shanto Miah Tk1 lakh to hire the other accomplices to execute the abduction.
A case was registered at Panchlaish Model Police Station on Tuesday under Sections 365, 385, 506, and 34 of the Penal Code.
