3 Sri Lankans abducted for ransom in Bangladesh, rescued by police

Three Sri Lankan nationals, including a woman who was abducted for ransom in Bangladesh, were rescued by the police. According to local media reports, the trio had travelled to Bangladesh at the invitation of a friend they had met on social media.

The police have detained three local people, including the person who sent them the invitation, in connection with the abduction, confirmed Bangladeshi Deputy Inspector General of Police (Khulna range) Mohammad Rezaul Haque while speaking to local journalists on Thursday.

The four arrested Bangladeshi Kazi Emdad Hossain, Shahidul Sheikh, Jony Sheikh, and SM Shamsul Alam contacted the families of the Sri Lankan nationals from a local phone number, and demanded ransom, Bangladesh’s newspaper, The Daily Star reported.

Later, the three Sri Lankans were found at the home of Emdad Kazi at South Ambari village in the Upazila, according to Touhidul Arif, Superintendent of Police in Bagerhat district of Bangladesh.

“Recently, Emdad became acquainted with the three Sri Lankan nationals on social media. Emdad invited them to Bangladesh with talk of business opportunities. The three Sri Lankan nationals arrived in Bangladesh on Tuesday. They were taken hostage after arriving in the country,” Bangladeshi media outlet bdnews24 reported, quoting SP Touhidul Arif.

“Members of their families called from Sri Lanka and informed us that they had been kidnapped. They had been told they would not be let go without a ransom. They were taken to Bagerhat’s Mollahat on Wednesday night,” the police official added.

Recently, the US reissued travel advisories to its citizens to reconsider their travel to Bangladesh, citing civil unrest, crime, and terrorism in the country.

There is also a risk of terrorist violence, including terrorist attacks and other activity in Bangladesh, said the US Department of State travel advisory

Earlier UK also updated its travel advisory for Bangladesh, advising its citizens against all but essential travel to regions such as the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

“Terrorist attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreign nationals, such as: crowded areas, religious buildings, political rallies,” said the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advisory.

In a growing, deteriorating law and order situation in Bangladesh under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, local media also reported an alarming increase in the number of highway robberies, targeting mostly expatriates.

According to Bangladesh Highway Police headquarters, such robberies have surged since the fall of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government in August 2024.

Source: IANS

--Agencies