Family members of Mohan Miah, who went missing in June, said a man claiming to be a Rab officer met them on three times occasions and told them that the disappeared man was in custody of the elite force.

His parents and wife said Hafizur Rahman introduced himself as a Rab-4 officer and said Mohan was in their custody when he went to their Mirpur home a week after Mohan was picked up by plainclothes men.

A spokesperson of the force denied that Mohan was in Rab custody.

Mohan's father Jamsher Ali told a press conference at Crime Reporters Association of Bangladesh on Tuesday that Hafizur said his hometown was Khulna's Khalishpur.

Asked, Rab-4 Commanding Officer Chowdhury Manjurul Kabir did not specifically say whether Hafizur was an officer of the Rab unit.

“Can anyone be a Rab member by claiming so? We would investigate the matter,” he said.

At Tuesday's press conference, Jamsher provided journalists with what he said was the call history of Hafizur's phone. He claimed to have collected it from the phone carrier. The call history printed on papers showed that Hafizur and Jamsher were in contact. Jamsher also showed journalists what he said was the registration form of Hafizur's SIM card. A picture of man in Rab uniform is seen in the filled out form.

The Daily Star could not verify the call history and registration details.

According to the call history, of a total of 100 calls made from Hafizur's number between June 13 and June 24, 94 were from Mirpur-Paikpara area, where the Rab-4 Headquarters is situated. Of the rest six calls, one was from Rajarbag Police Lines. There were also frequent calls to three official numbers of Rab-4.

The Daily Star called several numbers on the list. When called, a woman said she was Hafizur's cousin. She added that Hafizur worked for Rab-4.

She also added that the family could not reach him over the phone.

“I called his wife. She said that Hafizur had a problem at his office and his phone was taken away,” the woman said wishing anonymity.

The woman gave the phone number of another cousin of Hafizur. When called, a man said Hafizur was with the Rab.

Asked about the call history, the Rab-4 CO said, “Anyone can call Rab numbers. That does not mean he is also a Rab member.”

At the press conference, Jamsher also said they collected footage of CCTVs installed near the place from where Mohan was picked up on June 10. He distributed the footage among journalists.

“A white microbus and a motorcycle were seen there. Seven to eight plainclothes men picked Mohan up in the motorcycle. Two of them made him sit in the middle and left,” Jamsher claimed.

Jamsher said he was present at the scene and he talked to the plainclothes men. He said he asked them why they were picking up his son.

“They said there was a complaint against Mohan,” the grieving father said.

Khokon Miah, sub-inspector of Mirpur Police Station, who was investigating a general diary lodged in connection with the incident, said police would contact with Rab.

Around a week after Mohan's abduction, Hafizur came to Jamsher's house. There, Hafizur handed over a letter to Jamsher, claiming that it was written by Mohan to his wife. The letter said Mohan was in confinement and tortured.

On a later occasion, Hafizur asked Jamsher to contact Babu, an alleged Rab informant. In the first week of July, Babu called Jamsher on his phone and demanded Tk 3 lakh for Mohan's release from Rab-4 custody, Jamsher told the press conference.

Mohan's family agreed to pay Tk 2.5 lakh. On July 12, Jamsher along with some locals went to Babu's grocery store in Mirpur-2 and gave him Tk 2 lakh, Jamsher claimed.

But Mohan did not return.

Dadon Fakir, officer-in-charge of Mirpur Police Station, said that they were trying to arrest Babu.