3 women held in capital over child abduction

Detective Branch of police claim to have arrested two women from Savar for their alleged involvement into abducting a three-year-old boy from the capital's Mirpur last Saturday.

The arrestees are Rashida (30) and Fatema (25), said Ashraful Karim, additional deputy commissioner of DB (Mirpur Division) police.

He said Rashida earlier used to work in a readymade garment factory, and Fatema is a floating woman, living on footpath and Mazar area of Mirpur. On September 5, Rashida went to Shah Ali Mazar area of Mirpur around 4pm and hired Fatema and Shahin -- who also lives in the area -- to abduct a child, paying them Tk 10,000.

Fatema and Shaheen picked up three-year-old Sahadat, who was playing on the Mazar premises alone, said ADC Ashraful.

Rashida then went to Savar with the boy, he added.

The victim's mother Reema, who works as domestic help and lives just beside the Mazar area, filed a case with Shah Ali Police Station after failing to find her son.

While conducting a shadow investigation, DB police first detected the accused in close circuit television camera.

Conducting a drive in Chayabithi area of Savar, they arrested Rashida and rescued the child from her possession, he said.

Getting information from Rashida, police arrested Fatema, and are efforts are on to arrest their associate Shaheen, said the ADC.

Rashida was arrested in another child abduction case by police in 2019.

On September 5, she came to Dhaka from Savar for court hearing of her previous abduction case. On her way back, she again abducted another child from Mirpur, said Ashraful.

ADC Ashraful said children from a number of low-income families play in Shah Ali Mazar area while their parents go out for work.

RAB ARRESTS ABDUCTOR IN PALLABI

Meanwhile, a team of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab-4) claimed to have arrested a member of organised abduction gang from the capital's Pallabi area yesterday.

The arrestee was identified as Sumi Begum (40), according to a Rab-4 press release.

The Rab team also recovered Mithila Akter (9), from her possession.

In primary interrogation, Sumi admitted to the elite force that she used to abduct poor girls from different areas of the capital by alluring them to provide better food or work. Then she used to sell those girls, reads the Rab-4 statement.

Legal action is underway against the arrestee.