4 kidnapped Cox's Bazar farmers freed during police raid, 1 still held in captivity
Police said kidnappers released them when they were cornered during a joint operation by police and Rab. Relatives claim they paid Tk1.2 lakh ransom
Four out of the five farmers kidnapped for ransom in Cox's Bazar have been released by the kidnappers deep in the hills during a police operation.
The operation was conducted near the Rohingya camp in Teknaf's Hnila union during the early hours of Saturday (23 March), said Muhammad Osman Gani, officer-in-charge of Teknaf police station.
The released farmers are Md Jihan, 13, Md Rafiq, 22, Md Shamim, and Abdur Rahman, all from the Pankhali area in Hnila.
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Relatives of the four farmers claimed they paid Tk1.2 lakh in ransom to the kidnappers.
A few relatives of the farmers said they paid the ransom via a union parishad member, while others said they left the money on a spot in the hill.
The released farmers also said the kidnappers released them after receiving the ransom money left on a spot in the hill.
The relatives said the kidnappers demanded another Tk5 lakh for the farmer still held captive.
Police said they are not aware of any ransom money being paid.
The five farmers were abducted while guarding their fields in the hilly Pankhali area of Hnila on Wednesday (20 March) night. A group of armed men kidnapped them before dawn on Thursday (21 March).
Fatema Begum, mother of the abducted Jihan, said she received a phone call from an unknown person on Thursday afternoon, demanding a ransom of Tk30 lakh for the release of her son and the other abductees.
Tk15 lakh was demanded for the release of Mohammad Nur, the farmer who is still held captive, and Tk15 lakh for the rest.
When confronted by the joint operation conducted by the police and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the criminals released four of the captives.
"A comprehensive police operation began on Saturday night in the hilly terrain west of the 26th Rohingya Camp in Teknaf. At one stage of the operation, the kidnappers got scatred and released four captives," said OC Osman Gani.
"They [released captives] said the kidnappers had removed their blindfolds before releasing them. They had remained blindfolded since being kidnapped," he added.
Efforts to rescue the one still held in captivity are underway, the OC affirmed.
"The rescued farmers have been sent to Teknaf Upazila Health Complex for initial medical treatment," he said.
