Farhad Mazhar’s kidnapping wrapped in mystery: Dhaka Tribune report, July 5, 2017

By Arifur Rahman Rabbi, Afrose Jahan Chaity, & Md Sanaul Islam Tipu
The reported abduction of noted litterateur and columnist Farhad Mazhar, who went missing in the wee hours on Monday from his Dhaka residence, remains cloaked in mystery as it is still unclear who abducted him and why.
He was rescued in Jessore’s Nawapara area later in the day, sparking speculations over his mysterious disappearance.
Later, Farhad was brought to Dhaka on Tuesday around 9am and then taken to the Detective Branch office on Minto Road from Adabor police station for questioning.
Addressing a press briefing at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Media Centre, Detective Branch’s Joint Commissioner Abdul Baten said the general dairy his wife Farida Akhter had filed with the police station turned into an abduction case.
“After a primary interrogation, the police took Farhad to a court for recording his statement, based on which law enforcement agencies will further investigate the case,” Baten said.
According to court sources, Farhad Mazhar in his statement to the court said he had been kidnapped when he had gone out to get medicines in the early hours. He said the abductors had bought him a Dhaka-bound bus ticket of Hanif Paribahan from Khulna and asked him to come straight to Dhaka.
Farhad further said he did not think he had been abducted for money. It was him who offered the ransom money to the kidnappers.
He said he might have been kidnapped to embarrass the government.
Meanwhile, the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ahsan Habib allowed Farhad to return home following his appeal.
Asked what the police gleaned from him during the interrogation, Joint Commissioner Baten said: “Farhad said the kidnappers dragged him inside a microbus in the morning and drove off. We are investigating how he was able to phone his wife under such duress. We are only sharing what we have gathered until now by questioning him. We will provide detailed information once we have all the evidence.”
Talking to the press, Farhad’s daughter Chaumtoli Huq said: “My father looks very ill and exhausted. I have never seen him like this. We are worried about his health.” His wife Farida, too, expressed concerns about deteriorating physical conditions of Farhad, who is now undergoing treatment at Birdem Hospital.
What happened and how
Farhad had worked the whole night before he went missing in the morning. He went out to buy some medicines. When he reached the middle of Shyamoli and Adabar, some men picked him in a microbus and blindfolded him.
According to the case statement, Farhad phoned his wife Farida on Monday at 5:30am and said in fear that some people were taking him away to kill. He then disconnected the call.
“I could not understand whoever kidnapped him. Policemen started an investigation right after I had made a call to Adabar police,” said Farida.
He made four phone calls to Farida after his abduction, informing her that the kidnappers demanded Tk35 lakh as ransom for his release, Farida mentioned in the case statement.
A police source said: “Kidnappers took Farhad to Khulna via Gabtoli, Manikganj, Doulatdia Ghat, Faridpur, and Jessore. They kept him blindfolded during the whole journey from Dhaka to Khulna.
“The kidnappers set him free between 7pm and 7:30pm on Monday in Khulna and gave him a ticket to go back to Dhaka.”
A team of Rapid Action Battalion rescued Farhad Mazhar from a Dhaka-bound bus of Hanif Paribahan in Nawapara area of Jessore when he was coming back to Dhaka, the source added.http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/crime/2017/07/05/farhad-mazhars-kidnapping-wrapped-mystery/