Missing JnU student ‘faked’ her abduction

Jagannath University student Tithy Sarkar faked her own abduction to divert attention from the allegations that she had hurt religious sentiment, Criminal Investigation Department officials said yesterday.

"After leaving her Pallabi home on October 25, Tithy contacted her boyfriend Shiplu Mallik and went to Bagerhat where they got married. They came back to Dhaka on November 9. Tithy later went to an in-law's house in Narsingdi," Deputy Inspector General Jamil Ahmed told a press conference at the CID office in the capital's Malibagh.

On Wednesday, CID officials arrested Tithy in Madhabdi area of Narsingdi around 3:45pm and Shiplu in Kaptan Bazar area in the capital around 11:45am, he said.

Officials learnt that she went into hiding after they, on November 2, arrested Niranjan Baral, 50, a leader of the World Hindu Struggle Committee, Jamil said.

Niranjan Baral was arrested on charges of falsely claiming on Facebook that missing JnU student Tithy was "rescued from the third floor of the CID office in Malibagh with her hands and legs tied".

Officers gave reporters a screenshot of Niranjan's post.

"Niranjan Baral's false and misleading Facebook status and Tithy's going into hiding are pre-planned and connected incidents… These were done to create anarchy in the country," Jamil said.

Tithy was placed on a one-day remand yesterday in a case filed under the Digital Security Act on November 2 with Paltan Police Station over making "derogatory" comments about religion on Facebook.

Another case is being filed against Tithy and Shiplu, the official informed.

The DIG said investigators will also look into whether any other party or people are involved in the matter.

Tithy's family members told journalists earlier that she went missing on the morning of October 25 after leaving her Pallabi home for the local police station. Her elder sister Srity Rani Sarker filed a missing person's report with Pallabi Police Station on October 27.

Tithy was suspended from the university on October 26 as well as from her post as the office secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra Odhikar Parishad's JnU unit on October 23.

Some screenshots of Tithy Sarker's Facebook posts and comments that allegedly hurt religious sentiments went viral on social media that day.

On the same day, Tithy filed a general diary with Pallabi Police Station, stating that her Facebook account had been hacked.