Police rescue abducted Jashore businessman in swift operation

Jewellery businessman Dhirendra De of Jashore's Chougachha upazila was rescued within two hours of his abduction last night (6 January).

Police tracked his mobile phone and pursued the abductors' vehicle in a joint operation involving Chougachha upazila police and Jashore District Detective Branch (DB).

The operation began around 10pm, culminating in the arrest of two suspects in the Solua Biswaspara area of Chougachha upazila. Two other suspects managed to escape.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Chougachha police station Kamal Hossain confirmed the arrests and rescue, adding that the detained suspects were being interrogated for further details.

With information obtained from the detained, Dhirendra Dey was located and rescued with the help of Jhikargachha police. 

Police also seized a microbus allegedly used in the abduction. By 11:40pm, Dhirendra Dey had been brought to Jhikargachha police station , where the investigation continued.

The arrested suspects were identified as Abu Sayed Al Mamun Babu from Jhikargachha's Bodkhana area and Firoz Hossain from Isali in Jashore Sadar.

Dhirendra Dey, the owner of Uttam Jewellers in Chougachha Bazar, was reportedly abducted around 8pm from the road near a government food warehouse.

His wife, Padmarani De, recounted the series of events, saying her husband, who was unwell and usually stayed home, went out to the shop that evening as their son had not returned home on time.

"When my son returned, I asked him about his father, but he said he hadn't seen him at the shop," Padmarani said.

"When we called my husband's phone, it was switched off. Later, an acquaintance told us he had seen Dhirendra being forced into a microbus near the food warehouse."

Shortly after, Dhirendra's son Uttam Kumar Dey received a call from his father's mobile phone. The caller demanded Tk20 lakh in ransom, threatening dire consequences if the police were involved.

Ignoring the threats, Uttam promptly reported the incident to Chougachha police station.

Acting on the complaint, police tracked the abductors through mobile signals. The vehicle was pursued by DB police from Jashore and intercepted by Chougachha police.

When the abductors attempted to escape towards Kayemkhola in Jhikargachha, police, with local assistance, managed to apprehend two of them in Solua Biswaspara.

Uttam Dey believes the abduction may have been linked to their shop's Halkhata celebration that day, a traditional event for closing old accounts and opening new ones.

"Many people knew about the Halkhata. The abductors may have assumed he had a large sum of money," he said.

The police operation remains ongoing, with efforts underway to apprehend the remaining suspects.