Abducted trader rescued in city

The arrestees -- Abul Kalam Azad, Faruk Ahmed Shohag and Md Siraj -- were handed over to Uttara Police Station.

Rab-1 sources said Md Hanif, a sand trader from Uttarkhan, was kidnapped Tuesday noon while he was on way to Badda from from Gulshan in a taxi. Five people stopped the vehicle and boarded it. Hanif soon lost consciousness and later found himself in a dark room with his hands tied.

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The kidnappers later brought two young girls in the room and undressed them to take pictures with him. They threatened to distribute the pictures and kill him unless he paid them Tk 7 lakh.

His abductors told him they are accomplices of notorious criminal Kala Jahangir.

They forced him to telephone his younger brother about the ransom demand.

Hanif's brother immediately contacted Rab-1. Rab intelligence traced the house where the victim was confined and Rab-1 members raided it at around 11pm.

"We found three men and two young girls on the 3rd floor of the five-storey building on Batar Goli (lane) at Shahjadpur," said a Rab-1 member.

At the Rab-1 headquarters in Uttara yesterday, Kalam told this correspondent, "My wife persuaded me to go for such criminal acts to make money. I kept Hanif confined when he came to see me, and demanded money. But I had no intention to kill him."

He went on, "I rented the house on June 5 to use it for sex trade. I gave my identity as a businessman."

His wife Aklima and her friend Khadija confessed to appearing undressed to put Hanif in trouble.

"My husband asked me to do these and assured me of giving money in return. I persuaded my friend Khadija also to undress and told her she would get money for such acts," Aklima told this correspondent.

Faruk and Siraj were found gossiping with the girls in a room when Rab-1 conducted the raid. They denied any links to the kidnapping.

"I did not know that a man was confined in the house," Faruk said.

Asked why he was there, Faruk said, "Earlier on the day, Kalam asked me to see him at his house."

Siraj said he works as a technician for a cable operator, Skylink, at Badda.

He went to Hanif's house for a cable line connection at the house.

Kalam claimed he is a field representative of American Life Insurance Company's Salam Agency at New Eskaton.