3 abducted Sri Lankans rescued from Bagerhat, 4 held

Police yesterday rescued three Sri Lankan nationals who were abducted from Dhaka on April 22.

The rescue operation took place 12:15am onwards on Thursday in the Kodalia area of Mollahat upazila in Bagerhat district.

Four have been arrested in connection with the abduction, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Khulna range) Mohammad Rezaul Haque told journalists at his office yesterday.

According to DIG Rezaul Haque, the Sri Lankan nationals arrived in Bangladesh on April 22 at the invitation of a businessman named Shahidul Sheikh from Bagerhat for business purposes. They were abducted from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport the same day.

Later, the four arrestees — Kazi Emdad Hossain, Shahidul Sheikh, Jony Sheikh, and SM Shamsul Alam — allegedly contacted the families of the Sri Lankan nationals from a Bangladeshi phone number and demanded ransom.

Yesterday, police raided Emdad's house in the village and rescued the three and arrested four suspects.

The filing of a case was underway.