RAB arrests 14 members of ransom ring in Gazipur, rescues 27 victims
The kidnappers demanded a hefty ransom of Tk5 lakh for their release, prompting Sakib’s father to contact RAB-1, which swiftly acted to free the victims and apprehend the culprits
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) apprehended 14 members, including five ringleaders and rescued 27 victims after a covert operation targeting an extortion syndicate which lured people with false job offers.
"We have successfully apprehended members of a notorious syndicate involved in a scheme of extortion under the guise of job offers," said Assistant Director Mahfuzur Rahman of RAB-1 declared in a press briefing on Wednesday.
The apprehended ringleaders were named Astakul Amin Anam, 30, from Nilphamari; Md Toufique, 24; Imran Hossain, 19, from Rajshahi; Junayed, 19, from Natore; and Rony Ahmed, 21, from Mymensingh.
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The elite force launched the operation following a distressing incident on 19 March, when Sakib and Farzana Akter, lured by a job advertisement from 'Best Action Security Service Limited' published in a newspaper, were brutally assaulted and held captive.
The kidnappers demanded a hefty ransom of Tk5 lakh for their release, prompting Sakib's father to contact RAB-1, which swiftly acted to free the victims and apprehend the culprits.
According to the RAB official, the syndicate had been operating for three months from a rented house in the Rashid Market area, under the jurisdiction of Gachha Police Station, utilising it as their base for these heinous activities.
Following their arrest, the suspects confessed to their crimes during preliminary interrogations.
