Bangladeshi youth escapes captivity among 4 kidnapped in Libya

One of the four youths from Chattogram who was abducted in Libya after falling into the trap of traffickers has escaped captivity.

He is currently safe and in the custody of another Bangladeshi. Families of the other three captives, however, remain deeply concerned about their safety.

The one who managed to escape is Md Wasim, 22. The remaining three still in captivity are Borhan Uddin, 19, Jabedur Rahim, 19, and Naim Uddin, 20.

All four of them are from Chattogram's Anowara upazila.

Earlier on 26 March, 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 said the family members of the victims filed a complaint at the police station on 27 March.

How they fell into the trap

According to the complaint, a man named Zahirul Islam made an agreement with the victims in February this year to get them jobs at a hospital in Libya in exchange for Tk420,000-Tk450,000 each.

Initially, they were taken to Dubai on tourist visas. There, they were handed over to Md Mizan, a resident of Joypurhat's Akkelpur police station area. Within about a week, Mizan confiscated their passports and transferred them to Libya via Egypt. Upon arrival, he sold the four youths to another broker.

They reached Libya on 16 February. About 3-4 days before they arrived, 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 on 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 complaint further stated 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 3pm on Wednesday (3 April).

Wasim escaped by jumping from a building's second-floor

The group of four kidnapped young men were held captive on the second floor of a three-story building, where the captives were torturing them. They could use a washroom on the same floor next to a wall. Behind the wall was the main road, according to the relatives of the kidnapped youths.

"On the evening of 27 March, managed to escape by scaling a wall and reaching the road. He sought refuge with a Bangladeshi neighbour," said Wasim's uncle Md Nasir Uddin.

"Wasim implemented his escape plan by feigning a severe itch, prompting the kidnappers to allow him to bathe. Four guards accompanied him to the washroom, with two stationed near the stairs and the others at the washroom door.

"Wasim strategically left the washroom door open to keep an eye on the guards. When he noticed one guard engrossed in his phone and another lighting a cigarette outside, he seized the opportunity and fled, leaping over the wall onto the main road. He swiftly sprinted 500-600 meters and sought refuge in what he thought was a shop, which turned out to be a gym," Nasir Uddin said.

"Seeing Wasim, a European citizen approached Wasim, who, unable to communicate in the local language, repeatedly uttered 'mafia, mafia.' Later, people at the gym went outside to see if anyone was following him but found none. Wasim used sign language to express his desire to make a call and reached out to his family," said his uncle.

Concern for the lives of 3 still in captivity

Jabedur Rahim and Naim Uddin are cousins among the three still in captivity.

Jabedur's father and Naim's uncle Abdur Rahim said, "Since Thursday (28 March) afternoon, I have had no contact with my son and nephew. We are very concerned. We want them back."

Sohel Ahmed, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Anowara Police Station, said, "The incident is in Libya. It is beyond our jurisdiction. But we are looking into what can be done about this matter."