Even though more than three months have passed since the much-talked-about abduction of Abu Bakar Siddique, the husband of BELA chief Syeda Rizwana Hasan, law enforcement agencies are yet to make any headway in solving the mystery behind the kidnapping or apprehending the culprits.
Immediately after the abduction of Siddique on April 16, the Detective Branch, the police in Narayanganj and the Rapid Action Battalion launched separate investigations, while the DB police also formed a high-powered committee.
Thirty hours after Siddique was kidnapped from Fatulla, the abductors freed the businessman near the Mirpur Ansar Camp.
Although Siddique could not shed light on the motive of the crime or the identity of his kidnappers, the police and the RAB told media that they would continue their probe for solving the mystery behind the crime.
Immediately after Siddique's release, Additional Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Sheikh Mohammad Maruf Hassan, who headed the high-powered probe committee, told reporters: “Even though Siddique has been returned, investigation will continue in solving the mystery.”
However, sources in RAB, the DB and Narayanganj police told the Dhaka Tribune that the investigation was discontinued as they were no longer interested in the case.
DMP Spokesperson and DB Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam, who was also a probe committee member, told the Dhaka Tribune on Friday: “We are no more carrying out the committee's task of investigating the abduction of AB Siddique as the case is being investigated by the police of Fatulla police station in Narayanganj.”
However, when asked about their previous commitment to continue investigation, he did not make any comment.
Sazzadur Rahman Khan, additional superintendent of police in Narayanganj and also another member of the investigation committee, admitted that the probe body's work was not completed, adding that Fatulla police station was also unable to make any progress in the case.
“Actually, we had to stay busy with some other incidents like the seven murders in Narayanganj,” Sazzad said.
When contacted, Col Ziaul Ahsan, additional director general of RAB, did not comment on the issue.
After his release, Siddique and his wife Rizwana Hasan, the chief of Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association (BELA), claimed they were unsure about the motive behind the kidnapping. Narrating his experience, Siddique also said: “I could not see any of the abductor as I had been blindfolded the entire time since being kidnapped.”
Rizwana filed a case with Fatulla police station, mentioning that her husband was the victim of a planned kidnapping carried out as revenge for her activities in favour of environmental causes. She also claimed that those affected financially for her pro-environment activities might have been involved in the abduction.
