4 youths from Ctg kidnapped in Libya, video sent to family demanding ransom of Tk10 lakh per person
“Necessary measures will be taken after discussing the incident with the higher authorities in Libya,” Anwara Police Station OC said
Four youths hailing from Chattogram's Anwara Upazila have been abducted in Libya.
The abductors demanded a ransom of Tk10 lakh per person and sent videos to the families where the abductees were seen being tortured.
Anwara Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sohel Ahmed told The Business Standard the victim's family members went to the police station on Wednesday (27 March).
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"Necessary measures will be taken after discussing the incident with the higher authorities in Libya," he said.
The victims are Wasim, 22, Borhan Uddin, 19, Jabedur Rahim, 19, and Naeem Uddin, 20.
Anwara Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Ishtiaque Ymon said the matter was reported to the local police station. They have been asked to take necessary action.
Md Nasir Uddin, uncle of the abducted Wasim, said, "They [abductees] told me to send Tk4 lakh for the four people by 3:00pm Wednesday. Since the afternoon, they called our Imo and WhatsApp numbers several times for money. They've also been sending videos where the boys are seen being tortured. We seek cooperation from the administration."
Jabedur Rahim's father, Abdur Rahim, said, "I sold all our gold and silver ornaments to send my son abroad. My son was tricked there. Now the kidnappers are saying they will only return my son if he pays them Tk10 lakh. Where will I get so much money at the moment?"
According to the complaint filed at the police station by the victims' families, a man named Zahirul Islam Raipur Union's Gahira area, made an agreement with the victims in February this year to get them jobs at a hospital in Libya in exchange of Tk430,000 per person.
They were first taken to Dubai on tourist visas. There, they were handed over to Md Mizan, a resident from Joypurhat's Akkelpur police station area. Mizan then took a hold of all their passports after three days.
After about seven days, Mizan took the four youths from Dubai to Libya via Egypt and sold them to another broker.
They reached Libya on 16 February. About 3-4 days before they got there, the brokers called their families from different numbers on WhatsApp and IMO and demanded more money.
After giving them some work for a month in Libya, they were finally held captive last Monday (25 March). The next day, several videos and audio messages were sent to the families and relatives of the abductees showing they were being tortured.
In a video message, the abductors demanded a ransom of Tk10 lakh per person. They also gave an account number of Islami Bank Bangladesh's Chakaria branch.
The statement further said the youths would be killed and their bodies would be sent one by one if the families failed to pay the ransom. They also asked to pay as much money as possible by 3:00 pm on Wednesday.
