Police recently started scrutinizing the cases of "enforced disappearance" by individuals claiming to be members of law enforcement agencies with an aim to get a clear idea about who actually detained them.
The investigators will also look into the progress of the general diaries and cases filed over the incidents.
The 53 individuals also include those who reappeared. Some of them were later arrested and produced before the courts. Police say some of the returnees are linked to militancy.
Sources familiar with the latest investigation said the United Nations Human Rights Council recently sent a list of the 53 people to the Police Headquarters in Dhaka via the ministries of home and foreign affairs.
Later on, the Police Headquarters wrote to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) for detailed information on those who went "missing" from the capital. And now the work in this regard is in progress, the sources said.
A letter was sent to all departments of police on May 9 for updates on the people missing from the capital, a DMP source confirmed. The letter also contains details of how those in question disappeared.
Analysing the list of 53 people, it is found that 46 of them were allegedly picked up by individuals identifying themselves as Rapid Action Battalion personnel.
One of the rest was detained by a group of people who claimed to be from Mohammadpur police station. And there has been no information on the other six people.
Md Monzur Rahman, assistant inspector general of police and spokesperson of the Police Headquarters, said that keeping track of missing people and updating information on them is a continuous process.
"We're working on their latest whereabouts in line with the process," he said.
In December 2021, the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances published a list of 76 victims of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh. After that, it wanted to know from the Bangladesh government the whereabouts and conditions of 34 "missing" people.
In response, the government informed the UN Human Rights Council that 10 of those – subjected to enforced disappearance later – had been found.
An official with knowledge of the probe into such cases said letters are often sent to Dhaka from many foreign agencies, including the UN Human Rights Council.
"We update them on their queries in accordance with proper procedure and investigation. For instance, police arrested many named on the list after their return," he said.
Even many of the returnees are accused of being connected with militant outfits, the official added.
According to him, a number of people, in most cases, go into hiding on their own after committing crimes, and they are reported to many international human rights bodies as being the victims of "enforced disappearance".
Keeping this matter in mind, the lists sent from abroad are verified.
"And then, we update the respective international human rights organisations about those named as missing," the official said.
DMP Deputy Commissioner (Crime Division) Sachin Chakma said that the Police Headquarters wanted to know about the "missing" people.
"We'll submit a report on them once their updates are in our hands," he added.
Who are on the list?
Named on the latest list of 53 people is Yusuf Alam Sujan, who was picked up allegedly by some people identifying themselves as RAB members from a restaurant in the capital's Farmgate area on March 24, 2010.
On March 17 that year, Md Jalal was detained from his rented house in Mirpur 11. Zahir Raihan Herorn and Mahmudul Haq Roni were picked up in a similar way in 2009, while Ayub Ali Aardar, Md Lal Babu, Tarik Uddin Ahmed, Forqan and Abul Haider from different spots of the city in 2010.
Also in 2010, Taufiqul Islam Hasan, Sagar Ahmed Liton, Md Jamal Ahmed, Alif, Al Amin and Islam Babu embraced the same fate.
The list also includes Sylhet BNP leader M Ilias Ali and his chauffeur, Ansar Aali, both of whom went missing in 2012. In the same year, Md Imam Hasan and two years later, Shamsul Islam Solaim, Sohel Rana, Rahmat Ullah Sentu, Shafiqul Islam Shafiq and Jahidul Islam Sohel were subjected to "enforced disappearance".
Police picked up Nagarik Oikya's then-convener, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, on February 24, 2015. Later that day, Gulshan police said they arrested him.
Even though he is named on the list of the missing, the politician is quite active in politics and lives with his family.
Also in 2015, Matiur Rahman, Wakilur Rahman, Khokon, Shafiqul, Anisur Rahman, Osman Gani, and BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed were named.
Documents related to the BNP leader's alleged disappearance say that he was picked up from his Uattara-3 house on March 3, 2015.
Salahuddin's case has been a subject of interest as he went missing for approximately two months before being found in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya state in northeastern India, on May 11, 2015. The Indian authorities subsequently arrested him on charges of trespassing.
In an interview with Deutsche Welle Bangla, the BNP leader recounted being handcuffed, blindfolded, and forcefully taken from a friend's house in Dhaka.
He remained in secret detention for 61 days before discovering that he was in India.
The list also names Aminul Mallik, Sadek Ali Mithu, Touhidur Rahman and Tofail Ahmed Milon. Of them, Mallik, Mithu and Touhidur were arrested on different occasions on suspicion of their militant links.
The 2016 victims, according to the list, are Rajibul Islam, Nazim Uddin, Ashfaq Azam Apel, Kamruzzman Sagar, Rashid Gazi and Yasin Talukder.
Elahi Chowdhry and Minhaj Uddin Zibran are named in the 2017 slot of the list, with Mahmuda Habiba, Kamal Ahmed and Islamil Hossain in 2018.
In 2019, there were five victims – Zahirul Haq Khandaker, Khorshsed Alam Patwary, Syed Akidul Ali, Mukul Hossain and Miinhaj Yamin Zibran.
Dipak Bhowmik was the only missing person in 2020. He was picked up by some RAB impersonators and was released a day later.
