Police rescued Azizar Rahman, an independent candidate for Gaibandha-3 constituency, in an unconscious state in Rangpur city on Friday evening, January 16.
He was found unconscious around 7:30 pm at Modern Mor, police said.
Azizur had recently travelled to Dhaka to attend an appeal hearing after his nomination paper was initially cancelled. He was returning home by bus after regaining his candidature.
Tajhat police station's officer-in-charge, Ataur Rahman, said police rushed to the spot after being informed that a man was lying unconscious on the road at Modern Mor and rescued him. Later, the man regained consciousness.
During preliminary questioning, Azizar told the police that he boarded a bus in Dhaka on Thursday night, January 15, to return home. A person known to him was travelling with him and offered him eggs to eat during the journey. Shortly afterwards, he lost consciousness and could not recall what happened next.
Police later said he was travelling from Dhaka to Gaibandha on a Pinky Enterprise bus when members of a suspected drugging gang allegedly fed him eggs laced with sedatives. After he became unconscious, the gang reportedly dropped him off at Modern Mor in Rangpur and fled with his cash and mobile phone.
The OC said Azizar has been taken to the police station. Since a general diary (GD) had been filed at Sadullapur police station following reports of his disappearance, he will be handed over to that police station once their team arrives.
Azizar Rahman said he regained consciousness at the police station and could only recall travelling with a person named Shahin before losing consciousness.
Source: UNB