Who picked them up?

Three people have recently been abducted in the busy area of the capital, according to separate video footage available with police.     

The law enforcing agencies, however, are yet to find any clue in connection with these latest incidents of abductions.

In a space of six days, three people were abducted, triggering panic among the public. Even the relatives of the victims are not willing to talk to media.  

On 23 August, a group of nine people identifying themselves as members of law enforcing agencies forced a banker to get into a microbus in front of Khana Basmati Restaurant at Paltan in the capital, according to CCTV of the restaurant just opposite of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque.

Earlier on 22 August, a number of plainclothesmen halted a private car under Banani flyover on the airport road. They forced the car’s passenger BNP leader and also ABN Group managing director Syed Sadat Ahmed to get into a microbus.

Sadat Ahmed, son of former army officer, is a member of executive committee of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and also vice president of Chittagong South.

According to the family members, he was preparing to contest the national election from Raozan in Chittagong.

His wife filed an abduction case with Cantonment police station in connection with the incident.

Deputy commissioner of Gulshan zone police Moshtak Ahmed said, “The investigation is going on. The Detective Branch is also working.”

Nine people, who had had their lunch from Khana Basmati Restaurant, allegedly abducted banker Shamim Ahmed who was entering the restaurant for lunch.

A worker of the restaurant Mainul Islam served food to nine people.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said first two persons entered the restaurant, and then seven people.

Seven people were addressing two persons as ‘sir’, he added.

They were served rice, vegetable and meat, Mainul said.

According to CCTV of the restaurant, one of the two persons wearing light blue full-sleeved shirt and another in a light blue polo T-shirt were eating. They were also gossiping. Seven people were sitting at another table.

Another CCTV of the restaurant shows Shamim, who came from head office of IFIC bank, was being picked in front of the restaurant at 1:42pm. The CC camera also shows that a group of people was pulling a man, and they forced the man into a microbus and locked the gate. The security guard of the restaurant Khan Bahadur wearing a cap was also seen in the camera.      

Khan Bahadur told Prothom Alo that some people were dragging a man [Shamim] in a suit. At one stage, the man fell into a drain and people gathered around him. The abductors, then, picked him up and took him away in a microbus.

Shamim’s wife Shilpi Ahmed filed a general diary (GD) in this regard with Paltan police station.

Paltan police station officer-in-charge, Mahmudul Haque, said on Monday they could not make any progress to find out Shamim neither any case was filed.

An investigation related police officer, however, said, “Those who picked Shamim up are beyond our reach.”

IFIC Bank’s Public Relations Department head and Shamim’s colleague Asaduzzaman told Prothom Alo that they have no idea about those who abducted him. 

Businessman Aniruddha Roy was picked up on 27 August from 72 Gulshan Avenue’s Union Bank office. Security guard Fakrul of the bank said that he did not see but heard that a gentleman was picked up on a microbus.

A family member of Aniruddha said that they think he might have been abducted following a feud over business.

Aniruddha had a partnership business with a ruling party member of parliament. Recently, the partnership broke up.

This incident has video footage, as well.

According to the investigating officials, Aniruddha was not abducted by any professional criminal groups. Analysing the footages, they said the abduction was conducted by trained people and those who were carrying out the abduction were introducing themselves as members of a special force.

Gulshan police station officer-in-charge Abu Bakar Siddique said that they found a hint of business related conflict.

A video footage taken by the Union Bank’s CCTV cameras shows three persons are picking up a man on a silver coloured microbus at 4:19pm in front the bank.

Aniruddha’s car driver Shah Alam, and others are also there in the footage.

Shashwati Roy, wife of Aniruddha, said that her husband went to the bank for a loan.

When asked if she has any suspects, Shashwati said, “I don’t want say anything. Can’t say through what we are passing our days. Please, do something for the sake of our son,” she said.

Contacted, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner Asaduzzaman declined to comment on this issue.

* This report, originally published in Prothom Alo print edition, has been rewritten in English by Rabiul Islam and Imam Hossain.