Nine students caught for abduction

Nine university students have been arrested on allegation of kidnapping two persons in Gazipur, the Rab said yesterday.

Of them, seven are students of the Uttara campus of International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT) -- Sheikh Shaheen, Tarikur Rahman, Rokey alias Jibon, Abu Tarek, Sanjay Roy, Al Amin and Sabrinina Kabir alias Moumita – all aged between 20 and 25.  

The two others -- Sheikh Sakib and Mohammad Quayum -- are students of Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (Duet) and Uttara University respectively.

In a statement, the Rab officials also claimed they have rescued the two victims -- Shimon Miah and his cousin Mohammad Saddam -- from Gazipur's Bhaoraid forest area.

Talking to this newspaper, Lt Col Tuhin Mohammad Masud, commanding officer of Rab-1, quoted the arrestees as saying victim Shimon came to the country from Singapore on May 5. Sabbir, who lives in Singapore, phoned Shaheen and said Shimon owed him Tk 2 lakh.

As per Sabbir's instruction, Shaheen told her female friend Moumita to build  up relationship with Shaheen.

As per the plan, Moumita asked Shimon to meet her in front of the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute at Joydevpur in Gazipur on Monday.

The Rab official added Shimon and his cousin Saddam went there on Monday around 11:30am. Eight to nine people posting as detectives dragged them into a microbus and drove towards Bhaoraid forest.

The kidnappers beat the duo indiscriminately and at one point asked Shimon to tell his brother who also lives in Singapore to send Tk 5 lakh.

The gang was busted as a woman saw the incident and told locals, who later contacted the local Rab camp.

The Rab team also seized the microbus.