Kidnapped girl not rescued despite court order
Monoranjan and his wife Rita Rani, right, wail as their 17-year-old girl, abducted by a gang on the night of January 21, is yet to be rescued despite a court order. The gang also torched their house at Chhoto Gabua village in Galachipa upazila of Patuakhali district.Photo: STAR
Despite a High Court order issued on January 31 to rescue a kidnapped girl within the next 48 hours, Patuakhali district and police administrations could not do the job as of yesterday. On the night of January 21, a gang led allegedly by Mujibur Rahman, son of Anwar Hossain Howlader of Gabua village under Galachipa upazila, attacked the house of Monoranjan of the village as a sequel to a longstanding dispute over a piece of land. The gang vandalised Monoranjan's house, beat up all male and female members and set the house afire. At one stage, they abducted his teenage girl. Following a recent court order, Monoranjan recovered 0.80 acres out of 3.38 acres of his land grabbed by Anwar Hossain around 15 years ago. Another case is pending with Galachipa executive magistrate's court in this regard. Locals said Anwar had threatened Monoranjan several times to withdraw the case, but he refused. His hired goons, led by his son Mujibur, attacked Monoranjan's house on the night and abducted his girl, they added. Anil, nephew of Monoranjan filed a case with Galachipa police station on January 23, accusing eight people, including Anwar Hossain and his son Mujibur Rahman. Police have so far arrested one of the accused, named Russel, while the rest are still at large. A High Court bench comprising Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury and Justice Mahmudul Hoque gave the order on January 31 upon a petition filed by one Md Nasim Uddin on January 30 after a report on the incident was published in a newspaper on January 28. The court asked the DC and the SP of Patuakhali to rescue the girl and produce her before court within the next 48 hours. It (court) also asked them to rebuild the house in 20 days. The district administration sources said they have already started reconstruction of the house. Contacted, Ziaul Haque, officer-in-charge of Galachipa police station, said law enforcers have been deployed at Gabua village to ensure security of the victims.
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