4-year-old boy abducted for ransom in Dinajpur

A four-year-old boy was abducted for ransom in Hakimpur upazila of the district on Monday.

The victim is Abtahi, 4, son of Mamunur Rashid, principal of Hakimpur Women's College.

Emran Kabir, inspector (investigation) of Hakimpur Police Station, said they are trying to rescue the boy and arrest the abductors.

Family members said Abtahi went out of his house at Muharapara in the upazila to play with other boys of the neighbourhood. At around 11.00am, his mother found him missing. When family members failed to trace Abathi, his father filed a general diary with Hakimpur Police Station on Monday night.

At around 11:00am yesterday, Abtahi's father received a text message, which demanded Tk 30 lakh for release of the abducted boy.

The incident triggered panic among the residents of Hakimpur upazila because it is close to the Indian border and is used for trafficking children, locals said.

There were several abduction cases in the district in the last few months. Of them, two children were murdered for non-payment of ransom.

Afroza Mimi, 8-year-old daughter of Mahbubur Alam of Dinajpur Satellite Town, was abducted on December 26. Later, the gang phoned her father, demanding Tk 8 lakh as ransom. Police recovered her body from near her house on January 1.

Porosh Chandra Saha, four-year-old son of Keshab Chandra Saha of Kadimnagar village under Ghoraghat upazila municipality area, was abducted early November last year. Police recovered his body the next day. Victim's father said his son was killed because of delay in paying the ransom.

Nasima Akhter, 15, a Class IX student of Tangua Adarsha High School of Khansama upazila of the district, was abducted on March 19 afternoon. She has not been found yet.