Two members of an abduction ring have been apprehended by the Pabna Detective Branch (DB) Police, accused of extorting ransom from the family of a hostage by showing them a video of torture in Libya.
 
Superintendent of Police (SP) Akbar Ali Munshi shared this update with Voice7 News on Friday afternoon. The operation to arrest them was conducted earlier on Thursday.
 
The arrested individuals are Sumon, the son of the late Pandit Ali Bepari from the southwestern part of Dighaldi in Chandpur, and Rabi, the son of Delowar Hossain Gazi from the same area.
 
SP Akbar Ali Munshi, providing details of the allegations, informed Voice7 News that a person named Masud Rana, who had been operating a business in Khalifa, Libya, for the past four years, received a call on May 14 at 8 am from an unknown IMO number, informing him of his wife's kidnapping. They demanded a ransom of 1 million taka for her release, threatening to kill Masud if he didn't comply.
 
The kidnappers provided a Bangladeshi bKash number and instructed Masud to send the money. Masud, unable to withstand the pressure, provided the requested bKash number with the assistance of his helpless father. After receiving the money, on May 20, the kidnappers called again from the same IMO number, demanding an additional 1.5 million taka for her release and sending a video of torture to the family.
 
Akbar Ali further informed that at one point, Masud's mother, Malina Khatun, lodged a written complaint at Pabna Sadar Police Station on Wednesday, June 5. The next day, the case was officially registered, and the police began prioritizing the investigation. At one stage, with the assistance of the DB team and various investigation techniques, the accused were identified and arrested in different areas, including Chandpur.
 
Superintendent of Police Akbar Ali, while providing Voice7 News with a preliminary confession of the arrested individuals, stated that the abductors had prior acquaintance with the kidnappers in Libya. The abductors in Libya have also been identified. However, at this moment, their names and identities are not being disclosed for the sake of the investigation. Strenuous efforts are being made to rescue the kidnapped individuals in Libya.
 
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