‘They demand Tk 2 crore by threatening of crossfire’

There is an allegation that a man named Tamjid has been abducted in the capital, threatening to crossfire and demanding Tk 2 crore from his family.

Tamjid’s sister Raiyana Hossain filed a case with Hatirjheel Police Station on Friday (April 9) morning.

Four members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has been arrested in the case. The allegation is being verified against them.

According to the case statement, Tamjid left home of Mirbagh at 9:00 am on April 8 to go to Uttara. At around 12:00 pm, an unidentified person called Raiyana and introduced herself as a senior RAB official, saying that her brother Tamjid was in RAB’s custody. His brother will be killed if he informs the police or DB police over the matter. The unidentified man disconnected the phone just after saying that.

Raiyana Hossain said in the case statement, “I called several times later but the unknown person did not receive it. Later, the person received the call at around 1.30 pm. He said that my brother was being questioned by senior RAB officers. There will be an arms and drug case against him.”

When asked in which office of RAB, which senior officers are interrogating? The unidentified man told Raiyana, “It cannot be said at this moment. He may be given a crossfire. If you want to save your brother, then keep ready Tk 2 crore. Shortly afterwards, the man, identified as a senior RAB officer, heard my brother being beaten on his mobile phone. When my brother was given the mobile phone, he told me in tears that he was being blindfolded and beaten in the car. My brother longed to live. Next time, two or three more unknown people from that number want to know if I could raise money. I told them, we are poor people, where do we get so much money? The man later demanded Tk 15 lakh. When we were told that we did not have any money, the man asked us to go to an elite market in the capital with Tk 12 lakh in cash.”

She said in the statement, “I was called from my brother’s mobile phone at around 3.30 pm and I was given the opportunity to talk to him. My brother then asked me to pay the demanded money. When we asked him about his (Tamjid’s) position, he said that his hands, feet and eyes were blindfolded. Could not tell where he was. He asked me to go to that elite market with money.”