Detectives today picked up two youth in Chittagong for spreading rumour regarding whereabouts of missing BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed.

Mokhlesur Rahman, 28, of Jamalpur, and Alim Sikder, 27, of Jhalakathi, were detained from their rented houses at Agrabad Mistripara of the port city and Bhatiary area in Sitakunda upazila respectively.

Tanvir Arafat, additional deputy commissioner of Detective Branch of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP), said the duo tried to get money through "bKash" by providing false whereabouts of Salahuddin to his family.

The officer said the duo had informed Uttara police in Dhaka that Salahuddin was found in a remote char in Gaibandha's Phulbari upazila in critical condition. They had also asked the law enforcers to communicate it to the BNP leader's family.

However, Uttara police informed the police headquarters.

On information, Gaibandha police searched different char areas of the upazila on Thursday night, but found nothing.

Detectives said the duo admitted their crime in primary interrogation and confessed that they wanted to make an amount of Tk 50,000 by the trick.