Zinia Abduction from DU: Lupa, a woman of many avatars

She is a woman of myriad disguises.

Nur Nazma Akhter Alias Lupa Talukder, 42, who was arrested on charges of abducting nine-year-old Zinia, used to tell people that she was a journalist working for different media outlets.

Her Facebook profile says she is a political leader, a budding poet and an NGO employee. Some photos of her posing with leaders of the ruling party have been doing the rounds on social media.

Investigators say she abducted Zinia after offering her money. They are looking into whether Lupa has links with any trafficking racket.

Police on Sunday night rescued Zinia from Narayanganj and arrested Lupa in Amtola area of the city's Fatullah. Lupa is now on a two-day remand in an abduction case filed with Shahbagh Police Station.

Mishu Biswas, additional deputy commissioner at Ramna Division of police,  told The Daily Star that Lupa has a criminal record. "She was once accused in a triple-murder case. Besides, there were allegations of fraudulence against her."

Zinia, who used to sell flowers in Dhaka University's TSC area, was abducted on September 1.

Zinia lives with her mother and two siblings in TSC area. After she went missing, her mother Senura Begum told reporters that she last saw her daughter talking to two women near Suhrawardy Udyan.

Lupa's Facebook profile mentions that she is the managing director of Agnee TV, the general secretary of Bangladesh Awami Peshajibi League, and former student affairs secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League.

She also used to claim to people that she was a senior crime reporter at different newspapers, online portals and TV channels, and a member of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists and Dhaka Union of Journalists.

On her Facebook page, she is seen receiving the Cyclone Preparation Programme (CPP) Award 2019 from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.

Many on social media criticised her apparent connection with the ruling party and the journalists' associations.

Police said Lupa has yet to prove what she said about her profession was true. 

ADC Mishu Biswas said, "She claimed to be a member of the press club, but could not provide any proof. She just gave us a business card of Mohona TV where she claims to have worked once. She could provide nothing else."

Lupa told officers that she is a former BCL leader and now works for the ruling party's unit for professionals, Mishu told The Daily Star.

About the abduction, Lupa told officers that she felt sympathetic towards Zinia and took her home. However, police said the actual motive might be different.

Mahbub Alam, joint commissioner of Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told The Daily Star that officers are looking into whether she has links to child traffickers.

Lupa's Facebook page, where she posted her photos with ruling party leaders and ministers and her poems, has over 10,000 followers.