A press conference was held in Narail’s Lohagara upazila over allegations that Nazim Uddin Dewan, 71, of Moshaghuni village, was abducted and held for ransom. The press conference was held Saturday, August 15, in the Lokkhipasha area.
In a written statement, Nazim Uddin Dewan, the alleged victim, said he was abducted and held for ransom by Moniruzzaman Moni, 56, and Miraj Sheikh, 58, both of Ramchandrapur village in Narail Sadar, along with Imran, 45, and 8 to 10 unidentified others. He alleged the abduction took place around 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 12.
Nazim Uddin said that as he was leaving Lohagara upazila on his motorcycle, Moniruzzaman Moni, Miraj Sheikh, Imran, and 8 to 10 unidentified others allegedly dragged him off in a planned attack, beating and punching him, and took him to a house north of the road in front of the upazila complex. He alleged the accused then called his son, Sourav Dewan, and a relative, Habibul Islam, by phone and demanded Tk 500,000, two bhori of gold jewelry, and signed bank cheque leaves as ransom for his release.
The victim further alleged that Moniruzzaman Moni, Miraj Sheikh, Imran, and the other accused forcibly took his motorcycle keys and mobile phone. He also alleged they forced him to sign three Tk 100 stamp papers and two blank “demi” documents.
Nazim Uddin’s son Sourav then reported the matter to Lohagara police station, and Sub-Inspector (SI) Kabirul Islam Mondal, along with accompanying forces, rescued him. The accused returned his motorcycle keys and mobile phone at that time, but, he alleges, did not return the three forcibly signed non-judicial stamp papers or the two blank documents. The victim fears the accused could use these documents to fabricate false or misleading paperwork and file a false case against him. He said it is necessary to recover the three stamp papers and other documents quickly. A complaint has been filed at Lohagara police station over the matter.
Separately, the victim’s family says they paid accused Moniruzzaman Moni roughly Tk 350,000 about five months ago after he promised to arrange for Nazim’s son Sourav to go abroad for work. A further Tk 150,000 was paid to Moniruzzaman Moni on July 14. After receiving a total of Tk 500,000 in two installments, Moniruzzaman Moni allegedly failed to send Sourav abroad and did not return the money. The accused then allegedly came to Nazim Dewan’s house around 9:00 p.m. on July 27 and caused a disturbance. A general diary (GD) was filed over the matter at Lohagara police station on August 2.
Imran and the other accused, however, said the allegations against them, including the kidnapping claim, are false and motivated. They said they were not involved in any of the alleged incidents.
Lohagara police station Sub-Inspector (SI) Kabirul Islam Mondal said there is a dispute between Nazim Uddin Dewan and the accused over an outstanding payment. He said the two sides were arguing over the matter on the day of the incident. However, he said, police visited the scene and did not find evidence supporting the claim that Nazim Uddin Dewan had been held against his will. He said the matter would be investigated and legal action taken accordingly.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report