A tense afternoon in the capital turned into a story of swift action and relief as a schoolboy abducted in Khilgaon was rescued within an hour, following direct intervention from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, police said on Tuesday.
The Class IX student of National Laboratory Ideal School was allegedly picked up by four to five men shortly after leaving school around 2:30pm. He was taken to a seven-storey under-construction building in the Jorpukur area of Khilgaon, where he was reportedly assaulted and held captive.
The kidnappers later contacted his father, Khandaker Shamim, an employee of the Ministry of Information, demanding Tk 50,000 in ransom and threatening to kill the boy if the money was not paid.
Overwhelmed by the news, Shamim rushed to the Prime Minister’s Office at the Cabinet Division inside the Bangladesh Secretariat.
According to the Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atiqur Rahman Rumon, the distraught father was lucky to meet the prime minister in tears.
“After hearing about the abduction, the Prime Minister immediately called the police and instructed them to take swift action,” Rumon said.
The rescue operation was led by Ramna Division Deputy Commissioner Masud Alam.
Acting quickly, police opened communication with the kidnappers, assuring them that ransom money would be sent and asking for a mobile number to transfer the amount.
“There was some delay and bargaining from their side. At one point, they reduced the ransom demand to Tk 10,000,” DC Masud Alam said.
During the negotiations, police tracked the suspects’ location. A rapid raid was launched at the under-construction building, leading to the boy’s rescue within roughly an hour of the abduction. The kidnappers, however, fled the scene after sensing police presence.
The rescued teenager is now safe, police said, adding that efforts are underway to identify and arrest those involved.