While narrating his horrifying experience to the media at Chittagong Cantonment yesterday, Danida Programme Officer Hossain Shahid Suman said continued combing operation of the security forces and the support of the tribal people forced the abductors to release him at a time when he almost gave up the hope for life.

Suman was abducted along with his driver while attending a coordinator meeting of NGOs at Khyaburipara village near Thanchi upazila headquarters in Bandarban district on June 25.

"I was on a hilltop Machan (a platform on bamboo structure) when four gunmen appeared there asking for a foreign official of Danida who was supposed to attend the meeting," said Suman.

"As my foreign colleague was absent, they took me along with my driver Hanif down the hill where another eight people, all wearing black clothes and wielding weapons, joined them," he said.

Of the kidnappers, six had sophisticated AK 47 assault guns, two had revolver and pistol while the rest had sharp weapons with them.

"They took away my mobile, money amounting to around Tk 11,000 and ATM card before they forced us to board a boat, and after a 45-minute ride we got off the boat and began to walk through the rugged hilly terrain," said Suman.

"We walked through the inaccessible forest for the next three days," he added.

"They made makeshift shades with polythene paper and bamboos to pass the night and offered us half-boiled rice with snails or crabs that we could hardly take," he said.

"On the 3rd night, driver Hanif managed to flee and that prompted the kidnappers to start fleeing to the dense forest," he added.

"The next four days passed in the same way when I tried to know about the abductors and their motive," said Suman.

They identified themselves as members of Pahari People's Army (PPA) and said they get a monthly salary of Tk 120 each.

The kidnappers were Marma and Tripura and appeared to have developed a hatred for Chakma, said Suman.

He quoted the kidnappers as saying that they need money for procuring firearms and this prompted them for abduction to realise ransom.

They said they expected to realise Tk 1 crore in ransom from the foreigner they targeted to abduct and Tk 30 to 40 lakh for his release.

"One morning when the kidnappers were preparing to cook food while the rest went out to stand guard, an exchange of gunfire could be heard," said Suman.

"It prompted the men who were holding me hostage to run away leaving me behind," he added.

"As they did not return, I ventured to leave the place and came to a stream where I got fainted," he went on.

"A 20-member patrol team of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) found me nearly dead lying on a stone in a stream Singapajhiri, which was some 110km away from Bandarban district at around 10:30am on July 08," he added.