Parag abduction: Court accepts charges against 12

Parag Mondol

A Dhaka court on Sunday took into cognisance the charges against 12 accused in schoolboy Parag Mondol abduction case.

The investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted the charge sheet on March 23, dropping the names Jubo League leader Aminul Haque alias Jewel Mollah, prime accused of the case; Alfas Hossain and Rizvi Ahmed Anik as the charges brought against them were not proved.

The accused are: Amir Hossain alias Moktar alias Lengra Amir; Beauty Akter, wife of Lengra Amir; Md Akash, his nephew; Abul Kashem, his brother-in-law; Md Kala Chand, Mohammad Ali Rifat, Zahidul Islam, Al Amin, Mamun Mia, Md Sakil, Md Sultan and Md Wasim.

After scrutinising the relevant document, Judge Sadiqul Islam Talukdar of the First Tribunal for Prevention of Women and Children Repression on Sunday took the charges into cognisance.

Of the accused, Akash, Sultan and Wasim are on the run while Jewel Mollah, Amir and seven others are in custody.

The court also issued arrest warrant against the fugitive trio.

It also directed the officer-in-charge (OC) of Dakkhin Keraniganj Police Station to submit report on the execution of arrest warrant by April 11.

Meanwhile, Public Prosecutor Abdul Bari submitted a petition before the court appealing to take into cognisance the charges against Jewel Mollah, Rizvi Ahmed Anik and Alfaz Hosen even though the investigating officer of the case dropped their name from the charge sheet.

But, the court is yet to pass any order on the issue.

The detained accused were produced before the court during the day's hearing.

On November 11, miscreants abducted Parag Mondol, a six-year-old KG-I student of Heed International School of the capital’s Sadarghat from Shubhadda Paschimpara in Keraniganj.

The criminals also shot and injured his mother Lipi Rani Mondal, 35, sister Pinaki Mondal, 11, and their car driver Nazrul Islam, 35, during the kidnapping.

The kidnapers set Parag free after reportedly taking a ransom of Tk 50 lakh on November 13.

Sabittri Mondol, grandmother of Parag, filed a case with Dakkhin Keraniganj Police Station on November 11 accusing 10 people.

The names of five people including Amir and Jewel were mentioned in the case while the others remained unnamed.

A total 12 people were arrested in the case.