Abducted boy, schoolgirl rescued: 6 arrested

A 12-year-old boy was rescued from Guimara area in Khagrachhari district yesterday, nine days after his abduction, from Hathhazari upazila of Chittagong district.

Police also arrested six alleged abductors. The arrestees are Nur Uddin of Hathazari, Md Nuruddin of Raozan, Shiplu Nath of Chandgaon, Apu Das of Rangamati, and Md Osman and Md Sohel of Rangunia.

AKM Hafiz Akhter, superintendent of police (SP), said masked criminals stormed into the house of Md Kabir Ahmed, an expatriate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), at Hathazari on January 13. They tied up his wife and abducted 12-year-old Shoaib Akhter Apon.

The abductors took the boy to Guimara of Khagrachhari and kept him confined to a room.

Apon's mother Jesmin Akhter lodged a case with Hathazari Police Station the same day.

Acting on a tip-off, police conducted drives in different areas in Hathazari, Rangunia and Rangamati and arrested Nuruddin, Shiplu, Apu, Osman and Sohel, suspecting their involvement in the kidnapping.

After gleaning information from the five, police arrested Nur Uddin from Guimara and rescued the boy from the house of one Ali Hossain. Nur Uddin is an accused in 10 cases filed with different police stations in the district, the SP added.

During interrogation, police came to know that a UAE expatriate Mostafa had hired the gang to kidnap the boy because of a business related rivalry with Apon's father Kabir, the SP said.

In another drive, police rescued a Class V girl from Ramu area in Cox'x Bazar district early yesterday and arrested two people for their alleged involvement in abducting the girl.

According to police, the girl was abducted from Dakkhin Ghatcheck area of Rangunia upazila on January 17 while she was returning to her house from school. Later, the abductors demanded Tk 5 lakh as ransom from the family. 

A case was filed with Rangunia Police Station on the day.

The arrestees are Ronukul Islam alias Babu and Kohinur Akhter. Ronukul was arrested from Ramu Tea Garden while Kohinur frrom Naikhayangchhari in Bandarban, police sources said.