Rab arrests 5 kidnappers

The Rapid Action Battalion yesterday arrested five alleged kidnappers 11 days after they had realised Tk 2 crore from an industrialist and released his abducted son.

The elite force arrested the five from different areas in Uttara and recovered Tk 1.8 crore from their possession.

Eight-year-old Abeer, only son of Shahadat Hossain Shameem, managing director of TNZ Group of Companies, was kidnapped from Banani on May 2.

Maj Maqsudul Alam of Rab's media wing told The Daily Star that the elite force arrested gang leader Mizanur Rahman Mizan, Rezaul Karim, Nazrul Islam, Jahiruddin Md Babar and Oliullah in the early hours yesterday.

Three of them -- Rezaul, Nazrul and Jahir -- are employees of TNZ Group of Companies.

The Rab official said they had learned names of 14 people involved in the abduction. Rezaul and Mizan had planned it four months ago and rented a house at Pallabi to execute the plan, he added.

After collecting necessary information, the 14 criminals on May 2 split in three groups.

Mizan followed the private car carrying Abeer from his madrasa in Uttara to their Banani house. They stopped the vehicle under Banani flyover around 8:30pm. Posing as law enforcers, they took the driver and another person to their car and dropped them at a distant place.

They boarded Abeer in another car and took him to the rented house and demanded Tk 10 crore from his father for his release. They later agreed to release the boy for Tk 2 crore after some bargaining.

In the evening of May 6 they handed Abeer over to his father in front of Hotel Radisson Blu, the elite force said.