Hanif counter manager gives statement before court

Nazmus Sadat Sadi, the Khulna counter manager of Hanif Paribahan, gave a judicial statement in front of the Dhaka Court on Farhad Mazhar’s alleged kidnapping. He gave the judicial statement to the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Khurshid Alam on Thursday as a witness in the case under section 164 of Code of Criminal Procedure. Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s General Recording Officer sub-inspector Md Nizam Uddin said that Detective Branch (DB) Inspector Mahbubul Haque, also investigation officer in the case, produced him before the court for judicial statement. Nizam Uddin said that Nazmus Sadat Sadi was at the counter on the day of the alleged abduction of Farhad Mazhar. He gave details of the incident on that day. He left around 4:45pm after giving the judicial statement. Shibbari intersection counter manager Sadi said that around 3:40pm on Monday an elderly man in white walked in and asked for a ticket to Dhaka. “He identified himself as Mr Gafur and picked the I3 seat on the 9pm bus,” he said. By tracking his phone, law enforcers came to know that Farhad Mazhar, after his kidnapping, went to Gabtali, Manikganj, Rajbari, Jessore and finally towards Khulna. Later, the law enforcers rescued him from a Hanif bus in Nawapara area of Jessore on the way from Khulna to Dhaka. When he was brought to Dhaka on Tuesday, he gave a confessional statement before the magistrate as a victim. Later, he was admitted to the Birdem Hospital for treatment. On Monday morning, the poet and columnist went out for an early walk and then called his wife Farida Akhter at around 9:30am to say he had been abducted and that his kidnappers were demanding Tk35 lakh for his release. A team of RAB 6 found him in a Dhaka-bound bus of Hanif Paribahan in the upazila’s Noapara area at around 11:30pm.