6 held for ‘kidnapping Bangladeshi nationals in Libya’

Members of the Police Bureau of Investigation (Dhaka metro) have arrested six persons including three bKash agents on charge of their alleged involvement in incidents of kidnapping.

The arrestees are: Nurul Haque, 45, Mamun Mia, 42, Md Kamal Uddin, 39, Abu Kashem, 35, Baby Akter, 35, and Najnin Begum, 35, said Abul Kalam Azad, said special superintendent of PBI at a press briefing at its Dhaka metro office in Agargaon.

Sub-inspector Md Monirul Islam, of PBI, yesterday filed a case with Agargaon Police Station implicating the accused for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping and demanding ransom.

Tipped-off, a special team of PBI arrested the six from Kishoreganj and Narsingdi yesterday.

“A gang of kidnappers led by one Bakir Mia along with his cohorts kidnaps, detains and tortures in untraced locations Bangladeshi nationals working in Libya,” he said.

The clique then shows the incident of torture to the victims’ families through free video calling platform ‘IMO’ and demands ransom from them, the PBI official said.

The arrestees are local accomplice of the gang, the PBI claimed.

The money was channeled to different bKash accounts in the country and Bakir’s wife used to receive the most of it.

“They have kidnapped over one hundred Bangladeshi nationals,” he also said.

“If they victims’ families failed to send the ransom, they (the Libyan gang) murdered the victims and dumped the bodies,” Abul Kalam Azad said adding that PBI has initiated process to rescue the victims and apprehend the other culprits.