UNB, Gazipur: Khatib of T&T Bazar Jame Mosque in Tongi Muhammad Mohebullah Miyaji was not abducted, said Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations) of Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) Mohammad Taherul Haq Chauhan.
He this at a press briefing at the GMP headquarters on Tuesday over the alleged abduction and rescue of the khatib.
The briefing revealed that the Tongi East Police Station recorded a case after a complaint was filed alleging that 60-year-old khatib Mohebullah Miyaji was abducted on the morning of Oct 22 while going for his morning walk.
The complaint claimed that an ambulance blocked his way near Shilmun Exos Link CNG Filling and Conversion Center and 4–5 unidentified people forced him into the vehicle, blindfolded him, and tortured him physically while moving him.
He was rescued by Panchagarh Sadar police after a local person called the emergency number ‘999’.
Taherul Haq said that after investigating CCTV footage along the route from his home to various locations, no evidence of the alleged ambulance or abductors was found during the three-hour window mentioned in the complaint.
Footage from Dhaka bus counters, Bogura hotels, bus drivers’ testimonies, and movements in Panchagarh were examined.
The Additional Commissioner of GMP said the khatib left the bus station in Panchagarh late at night and walked alone.
Suffering from prostate problems, he urinated by the roadside and removed his clothes partially due to discomfort and fatigue.
He slept on the street with a small golden padlock chain tied to his foot. He later woke up at Panchagarh Sadar Hospital, said the GMP official.
The police added that his statements are being cross-checked and it is not yet clear whether anyone else was involved or if there was any instigation behind his actions.
Further investigation will clarify the matter and legal action will be taken accordingly.
