Physician Nusrat, dead or alive?

This was an incident of 15 years ago. A physician went missing while she was returning home from hospital in Chattogram. A case was filed in this regard and investigations were carried out. But the missing physician could not be found. Her father is been exhausted running to police stations and courts. He has not given up hope to find his daughter.

The missing physician is Nusrat Alam. She was 26 when she went missing.

Her father Nurul Alam Bhuiyan said, "My daughter couldn't be traced. Police couldn't do anything. I still don't know if she is dead or alive. Show me the graveyard if she is dead."

Nusrat passed HSC from Ispahani Public School and College in Chattogram city. Later she was admitted to Chattogram Medical College. She passed her MBBS in the academic session of 2006-07. She received PGT (Post Graduate Training) at CMC hospital.

On 8 September 2007, Nusrat went to hospital in the morning as usual. In the afternoon, she set out in a rickshaw for home in Lalkhanbazar. Since then, there has been no trace of her. Police last located her at Probortok intersection near the hospital.

Talking to family and classmates, it was known that Nusrat was not involved in politics. Her family is not involved in politics. The family has no enmity with anyone. She had no affairs. She was engaged to an engineer through her family. Afterwards, she went missing.

Nusrat's father worked in a private firm. Nusrat was the eldest among two siblings-a sister and a brother. Her brother is an engineer. Mother Tamanna Alam is in shock after losing her daughter.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, she said, "I still wait to get my daughter back. She will call me mother. How will I console myself? I went through all sorts of difficulties to make my daughter a physician."

Speaking Prothom Alo, Nusrat's classmate Poppy Akhter said it is mysterious she could not be traced in so many days. She demanded that those involved in her disappearance be found.

A day after the disappearance of Nusrat on 9 September 2007, her father Nurul Alam Bhuiyan filed an abduction case against unidentified persons with Panchlaish police station in Chattogram. The case was transferred to DB police as the police station could not do anything.

As DB police also could not do anything, a final report was submitted to the court in 2009. In DB, the investigation officer was Abu Jafar Omar Faruk, inspector of Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) in Chattogram. Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said, "Nothing could be unearthed despite make efforts at the time."

In reply to a question, Abu Jafar Omar Faruk said Nusrat would use a cell phone. Her last presence was found at Probortok intersection Chattogram Medical College. It seems that the abductors were very clever as they destroyed the phone on the spot so she cannot be traced.

Nustrat's father submitted a no-confidence petition in the court against the final report by DB police. The court asked the criminal investigation department (CID) to investigate the case.

But CID too could not make any breakthrough and submitted the final report in the case in 2013. After attending courts, police station, DB and CID offices for seven years, Nusrat's father is been exhausted. He no longer submits any confidence petition.

Kazal Kanti Chowdhury, the investigation officer in the case, has retired from the CID. Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said this is very unfortunate. At the time, there were not so many CCTV cameras. There was not so much technology. It couldn't be ascertained as to where she was taken from the Probortok intersection.

As police stations, DB and CID police could make any progress, Nusrat's father contacted PIB. He hopes they would be able to unfold the mystery of his daughter's disappearance. PIB officials have contacted him and he also visited the PIB office at Dewanhat in the city.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, PIB Chattogram city police super Naima Sultana on Friday said PIB has been investigating the case related to the disappearance of Nusrat with utmost importance.

Bangladesh Medical Association Chattogram unit president professor Mujibul Haque Khan said, bring the perpetrators to book after unearthing the mystery of the incident. The investigation agency should find whether she is dead or alive.

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