Rahmatullah, a youth allegedly abducted by individuals claiming to be members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) from Dhamrai in Savar, Dhaka, sixteen months ago, finally returned home on Sunday. The police in Chapainawabganj handed him over to his family following his recovery.
On the midnight of August 29, 2023, Rahmatullah was reportedly taken from his home in Barnalai village, Gangutia Union, Dhamrai. Despite numerous attempts by his family to locate him through various law enforcement agencies, no trace of him was found for months.
According to family members, Rahmatullah’s elder brother, Md. Obaidullah, received a call from an unknown mobile number on Saturday. The caller introduced himself as Sub-Inspector (SI) Md. Fazle Bari of the Rohanpur Police Investigation Centre under Gomastapur Police Station in Chapainawabganj and informed him of Rahmatullah’s whereabouts. Upon receiving the call, four family members traveled to Chapainawabganj.
Obaidullah said, “After receiving the call from SI Md. Fazle Bari, we went to Chapainawabganj and brought Rahmatullah home. Initially, Rahmatullah couldn’t recognize me. Now he does, but he is not talking much.”
Even after returning home, Rahmatullah remains quiet and withdrawn, rarely engaging in conversations. When asked questions, he mostly stays silent, occasionally responding with brief answers. He said, “I was released from an Indian jail, then brought back to Bangladesh. Today, I came home.”
Rahmatullah informed the police that he was sentenced to six months in prison in India for illegal entry. He was held in an Indian jail for seven months, after which he was transported from Dum Dum Jail to the border in a vehicle. On Friday at midnight, he was “pushed back” into Bangladesh. After crossing into Bangladesh, Rahmatullah went to the Gomastapur Police Station, where he was interrogated by the police before they contacted his family.
Meanwhile, Momtaz Begum, Rahmatullah’s mother, was overwhelmed with emotion upon being reunited with her son after such a long time. She said, “I have my son back, and I am at peace. Allah has returned my son to me. My son had a fever for eight days and was lying next to me. Then men claiming to be RAB and others in plain clothes came to our house and took him away. They said they would release him after questioning. We went to the RAB office, the DB office, and the police countless times, but we found no trace of him. Now, I finally have my son back.”
The Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Gomastapur Police Station, Khairul Bashar, stated that during questioning, Rahmatullah revealed he had been detained by law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh for nine months. He was later handed over to two motorcyclists near the Jashore border, who took him to India. As he entered India without a passport, Indian police filed a case against him, leading to his imprisonment for seven months. On Saturday at midnight, he was sent back to Bangladesh by boat across a river. After crossing the river, Rahmatullah asked locals about his location, and they informed him that he was in Gomastapur, Chapainawabganj. He then proceeded to the police station.