Police on Saturday night arrested five members of a hill-based kidnapping gang from Marine Drive road near Lamar Bazar area of Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar in connection with the recent abduction of an autorickshaw driver and extortion of ransom.
Firearms and ammunition were also recovered during the operation. The arrested were identified as Abbas Uddin, 42, son of Nurul Kabir, Sakibul Islam, 22, son of Abdul Hakim Bhutto, Farhad Mia, 19, son of Sofi Alam, Md. Robiul Hossain, 27, son of late Yunus Ahmad and Md. Tawseef, 19, son of Shahab Uddin. They are all the residents of various villages in Chakaria upazila.
Confirming the matter, Teknaf Police Station officer-in-charge Mohammad Gias Uddin said that a team of police conducted a drive in the area and arrested them.
Police also seized one homemade pipe gun and three shotgun cartridges from their possessions.
Earlier, on July 18, Pavel Chakma, an autorickshaw driver from Harikhola Chakma Para in Whykong Union, left home for work. While traveling along the Whykong–Shamlapur road near the Sonali Bank Dhala area, a group of armed men descended from the nearby hills, intercepted his vehicle, and abducted him at gunpoint.
Later that day, Pavel’s family received a phone call from the kidnappers demanding Tk 500,000 in ransom. After negotiations, the amount was reduced to Tk 150,000, which the family delivered to a remote hill area as instructed. Pavel was released at around 5:30 PM that same day.
Following a formal complaint, police launched an investigation. Acting on intelligence reports, officers located the suspects preparing to travel to Chakaria and conducted a successful operation to detain them.
The victim later positively identified all five as his abductors.
Over the past 18 months, at least 256 people have been kidnapped from Teknaf and surrounding areas, often by armed groups operating from the nearby hill tracts. The arrested suspects have been sent to court in connection with the case.
