No trace of doctor in 5 days since abduction

A doctor of Islami Bank Hospital at Mirpur police station in Dhaka went missing from in front of the hospital five days ago. Riyad Nasser Chowdhury was forcefully picked up in a car when he came out of the hospital to have tea at a roadside tea stall in front of the Purobi cinema near the hospital, said family sources. His family members alleged that he was picked up around 3:30pm on September 29 by a group of unidentified people who introduced themselves as members of law enforcement agencies. Riyad’s brother Fahad Nasser Chowdhury told Dhaka Tribune that they had filed a case with Pallobi police station in this regard, and had also informed the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). “Four days have passed since his going missing, but we still have not succeeded to locate him or find his whereabouts. His mobile phone is also switched off,” he added. Claiming that his brother has neither any political involvement, nor any monetary/land dispute with anybody, Fahad said, “He is not involved in any criminal or terrorist activities. In addition to his job, he was studying MBA at a private university where one of his female classmates recently got divorced and her husband blamed him for this,” he added. In reply to a query, Fahad said: “In January this year, Riyad and his wife Tamanna Taslima got divorced over family dispute. Meanwhile, Farhad Sarkar’s wife Luna Anika also divorced her husband. Somehow or other, Lieutenant Commander Farhad Sarkar – the husband of the female classmate and also an ex-RAB official currently posted at Coast Guard – suspected that Luna and Riyad are involved in an illicit affair. In August, two people tried to forcefully pick-up Riyad from the street but they failed as local people interfered into the matter and foiled the kidnap attempt. At that time, all three including my brother were taken to the police station. “We then talked to Farhad over the phone in order to settle the issue, but he threatened us with dire consequence.” Informing that Riyad filed a general diary with Mirpur police station at that time over the threat, Fahad said: “It is quite clear that Farhad Sarkar is behind this abduction and only he can confirm where my brother is and whether he is still alive.” After Riyad went missing, his family members filed a case with Pallabi police station mentioning Farhad’s name as a suspect for the abduction. Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Abu Sayeed, who is investigating the case, told the Dhaka Tribune that they have collected CCTV footage of the place from where Riyad was picked up in a car. “In the footage one person was seen opening the car door while three or four persons shoved Riyad into the car forcefully. Then the car moved onward,” he said. He also said: “We found that the car’s number plate was fake; the plate actually belongs to the vehicle used by the OC of Ghior police station. We are still investigating the issue and are yet to locate the whereabouts of kidnapped Riyad.” When contacted, Lieutenant Commander Farhad Sarkar told the Dhaka Tribune that he was at sea on duty when this abduction took place. “I was not involved in the said abduction. He is just a classmate of my ex-wife. I am not at all concerned about what she does at present as we are already divorced. “Police are investigating the matter. They can say what actually happened,” he added.