'Please help us find him'

Wife of Lt Col Hasinur Rahman, a former commanding officer of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), yesterday pleaded to the prime minister for her help in finding Hasinur, who has remained missing for over a week.

“Please bring my husband back. He [Hasinur] is innocent and not involved with anything. I beg to the prime minister so that she would order the law enforcement agencies to find my husband,” said his wife Shamima Akhter at a press conference at Crime Reporters' Association of Bangladesh in Dhaka's Segun Bagicha.

Former CO of Rab-7 Hasinur, who was also in the army (sacked), was allegedly picked up by 14 to 15 plainclothes men around 10:30pm on August 8 when he was on his way home after meeting his friends, Shamima said.

Quoting locals, Shamima on August 9 said her husband cried for help when plainclothes men tried to force him into a microbus. As locals approached to help him, the men, wearing jackets with “DB” inscribed on them, told them they were from the Detective Branch (DB) of police.

They came in two Hiace microbuses, Shamima said. They also picked up the caretaker of the house as he tried to capture photos but later dropped him near ECB intersection, she added.

Shamima filed a general diary with Pallabi Police Station seeking his safe return. She, however, alleged that Pallabi police initially refused to register the GD.

Later, the investigation officer of the police station called them once in last one week only to enquire about the GD, she added. “I have no clue why my husband could be picked up.”

“He has no enmity with anyone. For the last four years, he used to stay at home and looked after a share business in stock exchange,” she added.

She said they searched for him in every possible place including police stations, DB offices but could not find him.

After the incident, DB officials on August 9 said they were unaware of the incident. Mufti Mahmud Khan, Rab's Legal and Media Wing director, also claimed they did not pick up Hasinur.

Desperate, the family feels that the premier is their last hope. “Please help us find him,” Shamima pleaded to the PM.

Hasinur also worked with the Border Guard Bangladesh. He was sacked from the army for alleged connections to militancy.