Desk Report: Wife of former commanding officer of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) Lt Col Hasinur Rahman today pleaded to the prime minister for directing law enforcers to find her husband, who has remained traceless for over a week, reports the daily star.
“Please bring my husband back. He [Hasniur] is innocent and not involved with anything. I beg to the prime minister so that she would order the law enforcement agencies to find my husband,” Hasniur’s wife Shamima Akhter said at a press conference at Crime Reporters’ Association of Bangladesh (CRAB) in Dhaka’s Segunbagicha today.
Former CO of Rab-7 Hasinur, who is also a sacked army official, was allegedly picked up by 14 to 15 plainclothes men at around 10:20pm on August 8 from near his home in the capital’s Mirpur DOHS area, Shamima said.
Quoting locals, Shamima on August 9 said that her husband cried for help when plainclothes men tried to force him into a microbus. As locals approached to help him, the men, wearing jackets with “DB” inscribed on them, told them they were from the Detective Branch (DB) of police.
The men came in two microbuses and picked up Hasinur after he went out to meet his friends, Shamima said, adding that they also picked up the caretaker of the house as he tried to capture photos but later they dropped him near ECB intersection. Shamima filed a general diary (GD) with Pallabi Police Station seeking his safe return. She, however, alleged that Pallabi police initially refused to register the GD.
Later the investigation officer of the police station called them once in last one week only to inquire about the GD, she added.
Shamima said she had no clue why Hasniur could be picked up.
“He has no enmity with anyone. For the last four years, he used to stay at home and looked after a share business in stock exchange,” she added.
Family members said they searched for him at every possible place including police stations, DB offices but could not find him.
After the incident, DB officials on August 9 said they were unaware of the incident. Mufti Mahmud Khan, Rab’s Legal and Media Wing director, also claimed they did not pick up Hasinur.
As they have trace of Hasniur, the family thinks the prime minister is their last place of hope.
“We know none would feel the pain of losing dear ones more than our prime minister,” Shamima said, as she tried to draw kindness and attention of the premier.
Hasinur was sacked from the army for alleged connections to militancy. He also worked with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).