Farhad Mazhar taken to hospital in Dhaka

- DB quizzes Farhad Mazhar primarily

- Sketchy details of the ‘missing’ period obtained

- Detectives take no question at briefing

- Mazhar sent to court for statement

- Judicial statement recorded

 

Writer, columnist and poet Farhad Mazhar has been admitted to Birdem Hospital in Dhaka after a magistrate recorded his judicial statement and gave him to his own custody this evening.

He was taken to Birdem Hospital directly from court as he was feeling unwell, Sayyida Akhter, sister-in-law of Farhad Mazhar, told The Daily Star.

READ MORE: Found hours after 'going missing'

Earlier, Metropolitan Magistrate Ahsan Habib recorded his judicial statement under section 164 of CrPC and gave him to his own custody following an application.

Farhad Mazhar was picked up blindfolded yesterday morning, a detective official said on completion of his primary interrogation.

“Farhad Mazhar was blindfolded, picked up and taken away,” said Abdul Baten, joint commissioner of Detective Branch, quoted Mazhar as saying.

At a briefing at Dhaka Metropolitan Police media centre, Abdul Baten said they could obtain no further insights into the incident.

A kidnapping case was registered with Adabar Police Station in this regard last night.

Notably, reporters threw a flurry of questions about the whole incident to the police official, which he avoided. He walked off without turning to any of the questions.

‘Tied in a sack’, then found alone

Rapid Action Battalion-6 Commanding Officer Rafiqul Islam told The Daily Star that Mazhar told the elite force he was tied up in a sack during his period of abduction.

“CCTV footages show him leaving Dhaka in a microbus. The vehicle itself is traceless. Later, he was seen having dinner at a restaurant beside Khulna New Market around 8:30pm,” the official said.

 “The restaurant manager tipped us off. Mazhar was alone at that time. We showed his photo at all the bus counters in the city and managed to pinpoint the bus he was in.”

“We then rescued him from the bus on the highway. We could not get any further details. He kept telling us that he was sick and that he would say more later.”

Taken to Adabar Police Station, then DB office

Rescued yesterday from Jessore hours after he went missing, writer and columnist Farhad Mazhar was taken to the office of the Detective Branch for interrogation.

Mazhar was initially taken to Adabar Police Station around 8:30am, where his wife Farida Akter, daughter Chaumtoli Huq and other relatives were waiting.

Tejgaon division police’s Additional Deputy Commissioner Wahiduzzaman said police force escorted Mazhar from Khulna and took him to Adabar Police Station.

The veteran intellectual made headlines yesterday after his family claimed he was kidnapped in the early morning hours. Finally, he was rescued in Jessore 18 hours after he went missing.