Police arrests four Rab members for abduction, torture

Police arrested four Rab members and a civilian woman on Friday in the capital's Hatirjheel on the charges of abducting, torturing, and demanding ransom from one Tamzid Hossain. The arrests took place after the victim's sister informed the police about it. On Thursday afternoon, Hossain was kidnapped, blindfolded, and tortured while his sister was called by at least three men (claiming to be from Rab) from one phone number, demanding a ransom of Tk 2 crore in exchange for his safe return. They threatened to accuse Hossain in arms and narcotics cases, but refused to answer when his sister asked which Rab office he had been taken to. The men later settled for a Tk 12 lakh ransom, which police later held two of them with.

While we highly commend the police taking swift action regarding this case, we must also insist that justice be ensured for the victim. Given the profession that most of the accused belong to, it is more than likely that they may slip through unscathed, with only a slap on the wrist. But we believe that this incident needs to be made an example of, so that those belonging to the same and similar professions may not be under the misconception that they can commit these crimes against civilians and face no justice.

There is no doubt in regards to Rab's superb contribution to reducing crime across the country—not the least of which include their deradicalisation programme and launching the country's first On-site Identification and Verification System (OIVS) for criminal profiles—but the unit is also known for being involved in many incidents similar to what took place on Thursday. In November of last year, for instance, one man died while in custody of Rab-7 as he was hit with blunt objects. While Rab claimed after his death that his injuries were results of a mob beating, such a beating was not mentioned in the case that they had filed with the police.   As such, we would urge the police, Rab, and other relevant authorities to see this case through to a just end for the victim and the accused. There should also be a thorough investigation of all of Rab's activities, so that no one—regardless of their profession—can feel that they are above the law. It is unacceptable for an organisation such as Rab to have its members be involved in abducting and torturing members of the general public, when it is their duty to protect those same citizens from such situations.