Two farmers were abducted at gunpoint by unknown individuals in Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf upazila today (4 December).
Three people were injured in the incident that took place in the hilly area of Komboniapara in the upazila’s Hoaikyong union around 11am, said Teknaf Police Station Officer-in-Charge Muhammad Gias Uddin.
The abductees are Zakir Hossain, 45, and Mohammad Zahir, 50, both residents of Komboniapara.
Union Parishad Chairman Nur Ahmed Anwari said when the locals tried to rescue the abductees, the kidnapper opened fire.
Sohel, 18, Kaiser Uddin, 20, and Md Shakib, 12, all residents of Komboniapara, sustained gunshot wounds, he added.
At this time, locals were able to detain one of the suspected kidnappers and handed him over to the police.
The suspected kidnapper was identified as Md Saddam, 27, a resident of Komboniapara.
OC Gias Uddin said police and the Rapid Action Battalion are working together to rescue the kidnapped people.
According to data from Cox’s Bazar Police, 150 people have been kidnapped in the past 12 months from different areas of Teknaf. Of them, 91 are local residents and 59 are Rohingyas.
At least 78 of the kidnapping victims have been released after paying ransom, according to the victims’ families.
According to Teknaf Police Station, 13 kidnapping cases have been filed with the police station from 18 August 2024 till today. The number of accused in these cases is at least 60. So far, 25 people have been arrested.
