Extortionists in Chuadanga, Kushtia kidnap 2 traders

In another incident in Kushtia town, father of a school boy bought his sons freedom on the same night.

A gang stormed into the house of cosmetics shop owner Bishu Mollah, 38, at Natnapara village in Daulatpur upazila in Kushtia district in the early hours of yesterday, confined inmates at gunpoint and demanded Tk one lakh toll.

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As Bishu declined to pay, the gang picked up Bishu and asked the family to pay Tk 3 lakh within two days for his release. They also threatened them not to go to police.

The family yesterday filed a case with Daulatpur thana.

When contacted Daulatpur police told this correspondent over phone that they were trying to rescue the trader.

In Chuadanga, criminals entered the house of Shamsuddin Biswas at Shreerampur village in Alamdanga upazila and kidnapped him at gunpoint as he had earlier refused to pay Tk 50,000 toll. But he did not inform police out of reprisal from the criminals, family sources told this correspondent yesterday.

After the kidnapping, the criminals demanded Tk two lakh for his release, they said. A case was filed with Alamdanga police.

In Kushtia town, five criminals kidnapped Sadman Saklayn Shuvo, 13, son of Golam Saklayn, from near his Aruapara house when he was returning home Friday evening after enjoying a football match. He is a student of class eight at Kushtia Zila School.

The captors demanded Tk 9 lakh ransom.

Sources said Shuvo's family bought his freedom at Tk 1.50 lakh after negotiations.

"We did not seek police help as the captors threatened to kill my son," said Golam Saklayn, Deputy Director, Public Relations at Kushtia Islamic University.

Police said they were informed but did not move, as requested by the victim's family.

The family sources said after negotiations through a 'media', the criminals left Shuvo on the Dhaka-Kushtia highway Sunday night and phoned his father. They family brought him home.

Kushtia Deputy Commissioner Jamal A Naser Choudhury, Additional Deputy Commissioner MA Ahad visited the victim's house on the same night.

As many as 56 people, mostly school students and businessmen, were abducted in Kushtia and another 48 in Chuadanga so far this year.

Eleven of them were killed in Kushtia and 15 in Chuadanga. Ten of those kidnapped are still missing and the rest bought their freedom.

Some organised criminals and outlaws were involved in the incidents, police and victims families said.

But there are allegations that police often ask the victims' families to buy freedom.

A police high official in Kushtia seeking anonymity told this correspondent that the criminals even threaten us to kill victims if we launch tougher action against them.

At times victim's family also asks us not to move, he added.