BCL leader arrested for abducting Kakrail Church priest

The police have detained a local leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) on charge of abducting the priest of Kakrail Church, Shishir Gagario, on the outskirts of the capital.

The arrestee was named as Shams Kabir Sourav, 25, a leader of BCL unit of Tongi Government College. BCL is the student wing of ruling Bangladesh Awami League.

The police caught him from Tongi’s Pagar locality on Monday night when he kep the priest confined at a house there. Earlier in the afternoon, the Father of Kakrail Church, Shishir Gagario, was abducted from Tongi.

Sourav, son of Golam Kibria, a resident of Morkun in Tongi, and several others were accused in a case filed with Tongi police station in connection with the abduction.

Tongi police station officer-in-charge Firoz Talukder said the Father’s sister lives in a church in Pagar of Tongi.

The abductors phoned Shishir using the cell phone of his sister and told him that his sister fell unwell and her condition is critical.

Shortly after that, Shishir rushed to Pagar of Tongi by his motorbike to take his sister to hospital, but the abductors took him to a house and made him captive inside a room.

The abductors tried to snatch his motorbike, cell phone, money and other valuables and also make phone calls to Shishir’s relatives demanding ransom of Tk 300,000, but Shishir resisted the abductors and started shouting.

Hearing the screaming of Shishir, locals informed the nearby police station of the matter. The law enforcement rushed to the scene and rescued Shishir.

The police also arrested Sourav from the house and Shishir was admitted to Tongi Government Hospital.

Later, Shishir filed a case with the Tongi police station accusing Sourav and several others - four were named and some were unnamed.

Tongi College unit BCL president Kazi Manzur said Shams Kabir Sourav is the organising secretary of the college unit.

He said the BCL would not take any responsibility of the crimes of anyone and disciplinary actions will be taken against Sourav if he is found guilty.