Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has rescued a kidnapped Khulna schoolgirl from Cox's Bazar after seven days and arrested the mastermind of the kidnapping gang.
RAB-15 Cox's Bazar Battalion Senior Assistant Director (Law and Media Officer) Additional Superintendent of Police Md Abul Kalam Chowdhury said that an operation was conducted at Sugandha Beach Point area of Cox's Bazar town on Wednesday midnight.
The arrested person, Hamidul Islam Shakil, 17, is the son of Noor Mohammad Sardar of Jabbar Shikdar Kandi area under Shibchar Upazila in Madaripur district.
The rescued girl is a student in Khalishpur Police Station area of Khulna city.
The RAB officer said according to the complaint filed with the police station, the schoolgirl went to the area adjacent to the T&T office of Khalishpur Police Station in Khulna on September 4 for study.
As she did not return home even after that evening, the relatives started looking for possible places. Later, they came to know from the locals that unknown persons took her inside a microbus and left the area. At one point, at 9:00pm on the day of the incident, a member of the kidnapping gang demanded a ransom of Tk 30 lakh from the mother on her mobile phone. The abducted schoolgirl was also threatened to be killed if the ransom was not paid. Following the incident, the mother of the abductee lodged a complaint with Khalishpur Police Station on September 10.
The RAB official said that members of RAB-6 started an operation to rescue the kidnapped schoolgirl after being informed about the incident. At one point, the RAB members got information about the location of the kidnapping gang and the schoolgirl in Cox's Bazar. On Wednesday midnight, they raided Sugandha Beach Point area in Cox's Bazar town with the help of RAB-15.
The kidnapped schoolgirl was rescued from a residential hotel and the mastermind of the kidnapping gang was arrested on charges related to the incident.
Additional Superintendent of Police Abul Kalam Chowdhury said that the rescued victim and the arrested accused have been handed over to Cox's Bazar Sadar Police Station.
