‘Farhad Mazhar was blindfolded and picked up in a microbus’
Poet, writer and political analyst Farhad Mazhar was blindfolded and picked up in a microbus, according to the police. The police say that this occurred on Monday morning when he had come down from his house and was on the way to buy some medicines.
After being recovered last night, Farhad Mazhar was taken at nine this morning (Tuesday) first to the Adabar police station in Dhaka. From there, just before 11am, he was taken to the police Detective Branch (DB) office on Minto Road for interrogation. He was interrogated for over two hours. He was then sent to the lower court to record his deposition under Section 164.
This information was presented by joint commissioner of police Abdul Baten at a briefing held this Tuesday afternoon at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) media centre. Abdul Baten said that during the interrogation, Farhad Mazhar had said he had been blindfolded and taken away in a microbus. He said that Farhad Mazhar stated he knew nothing after being picked up.
Abdul Baten went on to say that after Farhad Mazhar was picked up, his phone was used to call his wife. Over the phone Farhad Mazhar had said that the people who had picked him up were demanding ransom of 35 lakh taka.
Farhad Mazhar was recovered at 11:30 Monday night at Abhoynagar, from a Hanif Paribahan Dhaka-bound bus coming from Khulna, according to the police. The relatives said that some unknown person or persons had simply left him yesterday early morning in front of the Huq Garden house in city’s Shyamoli area.
The police said that the complaint filed by Farhad Mazhar’s family with the Adabor police station has been registered as a case. At the briefing it was said that after his deposition was recorded in court, the investigation will be conducted accordingly.
After the writer was recovered, the police Khulna range DIG Didar Ahmed addressed a press conference at 1:20 pm at the Fultala police station in Khulna and said that Farhad Mazhar was carrying a bag with a mobile phone charger, a shirt and other things normally taken along for a trip. It was evident that he was travelling on his own accord. He is well and the abduction seemed to be a staged drama, Didar Ahmed said.