Abducted UP chairman aspirant rescued, 3 held

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) rescued a ruling party leader three hours after his abduction on Monday in Kalai upazila of Joypurhat.

The victim is Monwar Hossain, vice president of Matrai union unit of Awami League, and a rebel aspirant for the post of chairman of the union.

According to witnesses, Monwar was going to Joypurhat town on an easy-bike on Monday for filing his nomination papers for the post of chairman of Matrai union as he faced hindrance in filing his papers in Kalai upazila.

Some criminals waylaid the vehicle carrying him when it reached Baniyapara village near Joypurhat-Bogra road at around 1:30pm and abducted him.

Three hours later, members of Rab rescued him from the house of one Abdur Razzak in Matrai village.

Razzak managed to flee but Rab men detained his wife Nuri Akhter, 42. They also arrested two others from the spot suspecting their involvement in the abduction.

They are Ismail Hossain, 28, son of Abdul Zabbar of Shailgun, and Mahbubur Rahman Masud, 32, son of Md Shamsuddin of Kusumshara village under the upazila, said Major Hasan Arafat, commander of Joypurhat Rab-5.

Locals said a gang abducted Monwar Hossain to prevent him from filing his nomination papers as he decided to contest the race as an independent candidate.

Yesterday was the last date for filing nomination papers.

ANM Shawkat Habib Logic, member of Kalai upazila AL and also present chairman of Matrai union, is contesting the election for same the post with boat symbol.