Priest not abducted

Police has claimed that Christian priest Father Walter William Rozario, who went missing from Natore on Monday and got rescued from Sylhet on Friday, had gone into hiding due to frustration. 

On the other hand, family members of Father Walter, assistant parish priest of Bornimariabad Catholic Church in Baraigram of Natore, said he managed to flee from the kidnappers. 

Police yesterday produced Walter William Rozario before a Natore court and placed their statement in this regard.

The court ordered handing the priest over to his family members.

Earlier on Saturday, Natore Superintendent of Police Biplob Bijoy Talukder in a press briefing at his office said, “Using technology and interrogating Father Walter William Rozario, police has confirmed that it was not a case of abduction. 

"Police has collected CCTV footage from Jamuna Bridge Toll Plaza, which shows that he was giving toll to the bridge authority, boarding on his own motorbike,” the SP said.

“Walter spent the first night at a hotel in Tangail, the second in Habiganj and the third at a Sylhet hotel. He was fully OK when police rescued him from a bus counter at Sylhet on Friday.

"Police also recovered the motorbike, on which he went into hiding, from Nabinagar upazila of Habiganj on Friday afternoon,” the SP said.

Asked about some callers' seeking ransom from his family members, the police official said criminals made the call by cloning the mobile number of Walter.

Contacted, Bimal Rozario, brother of Walter William Rozario said, “We do not agree with the version of police. Walter was kidnapped.” 

Earlier, Amal Rozario, another brother of Walter, said, “My brother Walter called me on Friday afternoon and told me that he managed to flee from the kidnappers. He was weeping that time."