Rahima Begum staged own ‘abduction’, son says in statement

Rahima Begum, the Khulna resident who made news after ‘going missing’ – as claimed by her family, has been alleged to have planned her own ‘abduction’ by her son.

Rahima’s son Mohammad Miraj Al Shadi went to Khulna Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) office yesterday afternoon and was sent to the court after he said he wanted to give a statement regarding the abduction case of his mother, Syed Mushfiqur Rahman, Superintendent of Khulna PBI, said.

According to Shadi’s statement, his mother was not abducted, rather she “went into hiding willingly”. She had done this several times before, he claimed. This time, she did it to implicate the people with whom she is involved in a land dispute, he said.

PBI SP Mushfiqur said the investigation report in the case will be submitted this month after gathering some more information.

“Before Rahima went missing, someone sent money to her bKash number. We are trying to identify who sent it and why,” he added.

Shadi said he has no idea where Rahima is at the moment and will take legal steps to break all ties with her after PBI submits a report in the case.

Meanwhile, Rahima’s daughter Mariam Mannan said she also has no information on her mother’s whereabouts and asked the UNB correspondent to contact her younger sister, Aduri, or brother Shadi in this regard.

UNB’s Khulna correspondent contacted Aduri. She said that Rahima is with her, and journalists can come to her home and verify.

On 27 August night, Rahima went missing after she had left her home – in Banikpara area of Doulatpur – to bring water. Her daughters found her sandals, scarf and the water pot. A newer pair of sandals, though, had gone missing and that fueled speculation that she had left home on her own.

The family first filed a complaint with the police, based on which the law enforcement lodged a first information report (FIR) against several persons over Rahima’s disappearance.

On 13 September, after Rahima remained missing for 17 days and police failed to find her, her younger daughter Aduri Akter appealed to a Khulna court to transfer the case to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).

On 24 September, Rahima Begum was found alive in Faridpur’s Boalmari after remaining missing for 29 days.

Police arrested six people in connection with the case and of them four were granted bail after she was found.

A Khulna court handed over Rahima to her daughter Aduri on 25 September.