Abductors free Siddique

FE Team | Published: April 19, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

FE Report
After 33 hours of captivity, businessman Abu Bakar Siddique finally returned unhurt to the safety of his family Thursday night amid a haze of mystery. The actual motive of the sensational abduction spawned a lot of guesswork among the people throughout the day.
The kidnappers unconditionally freed Mr Siddique blindfolded near Mirpur Ansar Camp in the capital Thursday midnight. Police later spotted him near Kalabagan on his way home in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw and took him to Dhanmondi Police Station. He later went to his Central Road home from there.
Abu Bakar Siddique, also husband of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) chief executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan, was kidnapped Wednesday afternoon from Fatullah in Narayanganj on his way to Dhaka.
Security experts, businessmen and eminent citizens expressed their happiness over the release of Abu Bakar Siddique, saying the country's security and intelligence agencies should dig out the exact reason of the abduction to have trust of the people.
Terming the incident a big blow to the capital city's existing security arrangements, they called upon the law enforcers to unveil the mystery behind the abduction as it has given rise to a wave of shock and worries among the citizens.
The abduction came to the spotlight on Wednesday afternoon, when unknown kidnappers whisked away businessman Abu Bakar Siddique in broad daylight from Fatullah in Narayanganj.
The kidnappers, however, freed the businessman in the capital's Mirpur area after 33 hours of captivity in the face of immense pressure both from the law enforcers and the media.
 "Thankfully, AB Siddique is back to his family and well-wishers after hours of captivity that has triggered serious concern over public safety," security expert Maj. Gen. (retd) Abdur Rashid said.
Terming the matter not a 'simple incident of abduction', he said the law enforcers should take the issue seriously before somebody else is caught in the net of kidnappers.
 "Although Siddique has been released, it still remains unclear who were behind his abduction and why," he said, adding the incident indicated that the criminals had chosen family members as their targets, which really was a matter of serious worries.
Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Dr Iftekharuzzaman said the government should go deeper into the incident and bring the people responsible to book.
 "It's a responsibility of the country's security agencies to disclose the reasons behind the kidnapping to reduce the gap in trust between law enforcers and the citizens," he said.
Giving full credits for the safe return of the businessman to the media, he said such types of incidents take place in society regularly.
 "Most of the victims are not as fortunate as Mr Siddique. The trend should be stopped immediately for the sake of public safety. If we fail to bring the culprits to book, they will feel inspired and go on with another mission," he added.
Senior research fellow of Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) Ashique Rahman said the incident indicated that use of illegal firearms had continued to grow.
 "So, the security forces should further intensify their intelligence activities in respect to the smuggling of unauthorised firearms, which were brought for committing crimes," he added.
President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Atiqul Islam said pressure from the media, business community and civil society on the government regarding the issue had worked.
 Meanwhile, the just-freed businessman, along with his wife, arranged a press conference at his Central Road residence, where they sought adequate security for their family members.
Identifying the incident as a planned one, they expressed their hope that the law enforcers would be able to chase down the abductors during the ongoing investigation launched by a five-member team of Bangladesh Police.
Mr. Siddique, also executive director of Fatullah-based Hamid Fashions Limited, shared with the media his bitter experience during the hours of his captivity.
During the briefing, he said the house where he had been held captive was frequently used to keep abducted people.
"I talked to the caretakers of the house where I was kept confined, and from conversation with them I realised that the abductors had kept another person in the house before me," he said.
Describing the moments of his captivity, Mr. Siddique said one of their cohorts, probably the 'boro bhai (ringleader), came to the house where he was kept confined and said: "Neither your killing nor your release would benefit us. But at one stage, they finally decided to set me free."  
Then, they freed him with blindfolded near the Ansar Camp of Mirpur-1 and told him to go home straight with giving Tk 300 in cash as transportation fare, he narrated.
He said the abductors discussed among themselves about the ransom money but never asked me about it.
When asked, Rizwana Hasan said some signs of the abduction had indicated that it was a planned kidnapping. "And some indications did not seem so."
Responding to a question whether Rizwana did any compromise with the law enforcers for releasing her husband, she turned down the allegation, saying that her prime expectation was the safe return of her husband.