No trace of LGED staff abducted a year ago

Md Maidul Islam

Md Maidul Islam, accounts assistant of Patuakhali Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) office, has remained traceless since his abduction on June 26 last year.
Abu Hanif, then a cook of Patuakhali Circuit House, took Tk 3.75 lakh from Maidul, giving assurance to give his wife Rima Khatun job at Patuakhali Deputy Commissioner's office, said Rima Khatun.
"Hanif put signature on a blank bank cheque and judicial stamps, and handed those over to my husband Maidul, saying that Maidul would get back the money, drawing it from the bank, if Hanif fails to give the job," she said.
"On June 16, 2013, Hanif was transferred to Dashmina upazila from Patuakhali and it became apparent that he would not be able to give me the job. Afterwards, Maidul several times asked Hanif to return the money.
"At about 4:00pm on June 26, Hanif called Maidul over mobile phone to come to Circuit House with the cheque and stamps. Accordingly, Maidul left his house of Kalatala in Patuakhali town with the cheque and stamps and since then he has remained missing," Rima Khatun said.
Rima filed a general diary with Patuakhali Police Station in this connection on July 3 and police filed an abduction case on July 9 over the matter.
Later police arrested Hanif and his aides Sohel and Shamim for their alleged involvement in the incident. Police also seized Maidul's cell phone from Sohel. Hanif and Sohel made confessional statements to police that they physically tortured Maidul to take back the cheque and stamps, confining him to a room at the Circuit House.
They also made Maidul write on a white paper that he got the money back from Hanif. Later they handed over Maidul to a man.
One year into the incident, the man who brought Maidul from the Circuit House is yet to be arrested.
"I want to see my husband. Please help me," a tearful Rima Khatun, holding her two and a half year old daughter Medha, told journalists.
Investigation officer of the case, Sub Inspector Md Mehedi Hasan said, "We are trying our best to rescue Maidul. All the arrestees are now in jail."
Superintendent of Police Rafiqul Hasan Gani said they have plans to send the case to the Criminal Investigation Department soon for further investigation.