Dramatic: Love affair leads to cross border kidnapping
BALURGHAT: In a dramatic turn of events, a woman and her four-year-old daughter, reported missing by her husband, were rescued by the police following an investigation that uncovered a cross-border connection.
Mintu Rahman, a 35-year-old resident of Cooch Behar under Kotwali Police Station, lodged a complaint with Hili Police Station alleging that his wife and their young daughter had been abducted. Prompt action by the police led to the arrest of one Shahjad Hossain, a resident of Laskarpur under Hili Police Station limits. During a press conference held on Tuesday afternoon, Vikram Prasad, DSP (Headquarters), Balurghat, revealed startling details. He stated that preliminary investigations revealed the woman had developed a romantic relationship with a Bangladeshi youth over the phone. Reportedly, she left her home in Cooch Behar with Rs 3 lakh and travelled to Gangarampur through a local contact, allegedly with the intention of eloping.
Subsequently, the woman, along with her child, crossed the India-Bangladesh international border near Hili through illegal means and entered Bangladesh. Some days later, a ransom call was made to her husband from an undisclosed location in Bangladesh. He was provided with a bank account number and instructed to deposit Rs 30,000 for the release of his wife and child.
Rahman complied, depositing the amount. Shortly thereafter, unknown individuals dropped the woman and her daughter off on the Indian side of the barbed wire fence along the border, from where the police successfully rescued them.
Following the money trail, the police arrested Shahjad Hossain, the owner of the bank account used for the ransom transaction. He was produced before the Balurghat Court on Tuesday and has been taken into police remand for further interrogation.
DSP Vikram Prasad noted: “Since the woman is not a resident of South Dinajpur and originally hails from Cooch Behar, she has been unable to clearly state how she was taken from one location to another or how she crossed the border.
The investigation is ongoing to uncover all links. We are also probing possible human trafficking angles in the case and are working in coordination with border security forces and international agencies where necessary.”
