Robbers abducted Zaifa to extort ransom from her family: RAB
The eight-month-old abducted child Zaifa was rescued by RAB from Mohammadpur on Friday night
The robbers kidnapped eight-month-old Zaifa from the capital's Azimpur area to push the family to pay them more money as ransom, said Lt Col Munim Ferdous, director of the Rapid Action Battalion's (RAB) Legal and Media Wing today.
"Fatema Akhtar Shapla, the primary kidnapper, was arrested late 15 November night during the operation to rescue Zaifa. Shapla admitted that the kidnapping was planned to extract a hefty ransom," he said at a press conference at the force's Media Centre in Karwan Bazar.
A group of robbers entered a house in the Azimpur Medical Staff Quarters last Friday, looting cash and gold ornaments before kidnapping an eight-month-old child.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"Shapla, along with three accomplices — Sumon, Raihan, and Hasan — was involved in the robbery and kidnapping. They planned to demand a large ransom in exchange for the child. However, widespread attention from the media and social platforms forced them to go into hiding," said Munim.
The child's mother, Farzana Akhtar, works as a stenographer at the Ministry of Home Affairs, while the father is a lab assistant at Anwer Khan Modern Medical College Hospital.
Shapla had targeted Farzana about two weeks prior, establishing a rapport with her during their shared commutes to work, according to RAB.
On 14 November, Shapla moved into Farzana's house as a subtenant and tricked Farzana into consuming sedatives that night.
The following morning, her three accomplices entered the house, looting Tk1.7 lakh in cash and approximately seven bhori of gold ornaments. The four then abducted Zaifa and fled to the Nabinagar Housing area in Mohammadpur.
Responding to a question, Lt Col Munim said RAB is keeping the child's father, Abu Zafar, under surveillance.
He explained marital issues between the parents led them to live separately.
"While the father frequently visited the Azimpur residence during the day, he stayed elsewhere at night. RAB is investigating whether he had any involvement in the incident, added the RAB official.
According to RAB, Shapla, who hails from Bogura, studied at Lalmatia Women's College until 2014 but did not complete her education. She lived with her mother and sister in Nabinagar Housing.
