Although police have yet to make any headway in pinpointing the motive for the abduction of apparel businessman Abu Bakar Siddique, the husband of prominent environmental lawyer Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the couple have narrowed down the list of reasons by excluding the ones they believe are not linked to the kidnap.
Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, BELA (Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association) chief Rizwana and her husband claimed that the abductors have not picked Siddique for anything concerning his business since there was no dispute between him and the owner of the factory. The factory had faced a closure and Abu Bakar resumed operations.
“There was no row over ownership of the factory located in Fatullah of Narayanganj. State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid Bipu was the sole owner of it and he had no partner,” Rizwana asserted.
Although the environmental lawyer could not reveal any exact reason for her husband’s abduction, she claimed he might have been kidnapped for her professional activities and not for his own acts.
Abu Bakar also firmly claimed that he had not been abducted for ransom as the abductors did not demand any money from him.
“They just discussed how much they should have demanded among themselves,” he said.
Superintendent of Police in Narayanganj Syed Nurul Islam said they have yet to ascertain whether claims made by the couple are the real facts behind the abduction.
“We are still investigating and the probe is being carried out with scrupulous attention to details. We are working with total sincerity. We, however, cannot jump to a conclusion until we can get hold of a lead,” he said.
Policemen conducting the investigation said they had taken all possibilities into consideration.
Abu Bakar, who was kidnapped by armed miscreants on April 16 while on his way to Dhaka from work, claimed to have been dropped off at the capital’s Mirpur in the later hours of the night on April 17, bringing his more than 30 hours of captivity to an end.
Apart from police in the Fatullah police station, where Rizwana lodged a case in connection with the abduction, the Narayanganj district police formed a 12-member committee while the police headquarters formed another 5-member committee comprised of officials from the police,RAB and DB.
