‘I've found him at last, but dead'

In the silence of nights, Lutfar Rahman prayed and hoped to see his only son alive, hear him call “baba” since he went missing in October, 2015.

Then the worst nightmare came true on Monday as he learnt his DNA matched that of an unclaimed body recovered from the Buriganga river two days after his son disappeared.

Nineteen-year-old Asif Imran, a first-year student of the American International University of Bangladesh, left his Uttara residence with friends on October 7 of the year.

On October 9, Keraniganj police found a body floating in the river. They buried the unclaimed body with the help of Anjuman-e-Mofidul Islam, a voluntary organisation, after collecting DNA samples.

Amid desperate efforts to find Imran, police on December 18 last year collected DNA samples from Lutfar, a former manager at Ashuganj Power Station, and his wife Nadira Begum, which matched those from the body, proving that it was Imran.  

“My son was abducted and killed brutally for ransom. The only thing now I want is justice,” said the father, choking. 

Like the sensational seven murders in Narayanganj masterminded by former councillor Nur Hossain, the name of the then councillor Alamgir Islam came up behind the abduction and killing of Imran.   

One of Imran's friends, Golam Mostafa Adar, had taken him to the office of Alamgir, councillor of ward no-17 at Baburail in Narayanganj City Corporation.

"Around 4:00pm [on the day of the incident], Alamgir called me over the phone and told me to visit him at his office in Baburail,” Adar wrote in a letter to the superintendent of police in Narayanganj two weeks after Imran went missing, seeking legal steps to find him.

As soon as he and two of his friends, including Imran, went there, the councillor confined them. Alamgir and his six aides then started beating them.

“The councillor used to propose [us] to join him, help him in illegal grabbing and criminal activities.” As they refused to do so, the councillor held and tortured them. All but Imran managed to flee.

Later when Imran's friends called Alamgir for their friend's release, he demanded Tk 5 lakh ransom, Adar said in the letter.

This correspondent repeatedly tried to reach Alamgir yesterday, but found his mobile phone switched off.

He earlier told police that he had released Imran that night. 

Lutfar believes that all including Adar and Alamgir are members of a gang that abducts young boys      and demands ransom from their parents.

During the incident, Imran's parents were in Saudi Arabia for Hajj. On return, the father filed an abduction case with Uttara Paschim Police Station on November 1, 2015 against Adar, his father Golam Mostafa Kalu, Alamgir and his nephew Reazul Islam Pritom.

Apart from these four, police earlier arrested five others. Six including Adar, Kalu and Alamgir are now on bail.

Surprisingly, Adar and his father Kalu filed at least three cases   against Lutfar, bringing different charges, after they were released on bail in October and December last year.

In one of the cases, the plaintiffs said Lutfar had taken TK 25 lakh from their family for business purpose but didn't pay back. 

Talking to The Daily Star recently, Adar claimed he had proof that Lutfar sent his son abroad and filed the abduction case to embezzle the money.

Nure Alam Siddique, officer-in-charge of Bangshal police, however, said police didn't find any evidence of the allegations brought against Lutfar. 

Gazi Ataur Rahman, inspector of the Criminal Investigation Department, who investigated the case, said he suspected that Imran was killed by those who took him out to the councillor's office and confined him there.

“The DNA test results give a new dimension in the investigation.” The CID will now appeal to the court for taking the accused on remand for interrogation, he added.