Romel Mia of Narsingdi agreed to take Libya for four lakh taka. On March 6, Rommel paid two lakh taka. Then on March 14, Rommel left with Rahmat Ullah and Billal Mia with the equivalent of one lakh 24 thousand dollars. Rommel was taken to Libya via Dubai-Egypt on a tourist visa. He was told that he would be offered a job in a carpet company.

But Rommel saw a different picture when he went there. Those who took him to Libya are all members of the hostage ring. They detained and tortured Rommel and demanded a ransom of 12 lakh rupees. If you don’t send the money, sometimes he will cut off your hand, sometimes he threatens to kill you.

Not being able to raise enough money, Rommel’s family approached Narsingdi Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).

PBI arrested three persons including Sohail (24), the leader of this organized gang who is staying in the country after investigating the incident. The other two arrested are Wasim Hossain and Akarich Mia.

Police Superintendent of PBI Narsingdi district said these things in a press conference at the PBI head office in Dhanmondi in the capital on Tuesday (June 4). Enayet Hossain Mannan.

He said Rommel was taken to Libya via Dubai-Egypt on a tourist visa. They detained him there and put him on video call to his relatives and demanded a ransom of Tk 12 lakh. On April 10, Rommel’s brother Babul and his relatives came to the PBI office and reported the matter. Threatened to kill if money is not sent. Gang members said Rommel would be killed if the incident was reported to the police.

The police superintendent of PBI also said that later one and a half lakh rupees were sent to the four Bikash numbers given to the hostages, keeping the activities of PBI secret. The cycle receives money and prompts to send more money. At this stage, three teams of PBI simultaneously conducted raids in Dhaka’s Dohar, Nawabganj, Kishoreganj’s Bhairab and Narsingdi’s Raipura police stations. Meanwhile, Wasim Hossain and Akarich Mia were arrested. A total of 22 SIM cards including 9 mobile sets, one and a half lakh ransom and Bikash SIM were seized from them.

Meanwhile, PBI got information that the mastermind of the hostages, Sohail, is in Bangladesh. Letters were sent to all airports and land ports so that he could not escape. At one point on April 19, Sohail was detained by immigration police when he went to Hazrat Shahjalal Airport to flee the country to Dubai. Later PBI arrested him from there.

Sohail provided a lot of information on remand. The hostages agreed to release Rommel after talking to the gang members based in Libya through Sohail’s mobile on the PBI’s initiative.

After much drama, Rommel was turned around one day by Sohail and delivered to a man named Rahmat Ullah in Tripoli at 3 am. Then there was the complication of passport-visa and air tickets to bring him home from Tripoli. The PBI was able to bring Rommel back on May 24 after several attempts at the Libyan embassy.

Superintendent of Police Enayet Hossain Mannan said that the victim Romel said that he saw 11 more Bangladeshi hostages. The matter is being verified. Besides, bank accounts and extensive financial transactions are being verified in the investigation.

Rommel said, Billal-Rahtullah took me to Libya via Dubai-Egypt on a tourist visa. I was kept there day after day and was tortured. The people of the house were beaten up on video and a ransom of Tk 12 lakh was demanded.

He said there were a few people there. A chief who was called ‘Bey’ by all. Besides, there were some others named Delwar, Arif, Ruhul, Tanveer, Saiful, Abul, Hridoy Khan, Tanveer. They used to say – ‘Give me 12 lakhs or I will kill you.’ They used to say – ‘Many Rumels like you have lost, I will kill you too.’

Rommel said in a tearful voice, “I never imagined that I would see the face of Bangladesh.” Thanks to PBI I can come back.

Rommel’s father Asad said, “When my son left, it was the month of Ramadan. We are poor people, we sold the house and sent the son abroad, then when he wants money again, where will we give the money? I am happy that the boy is coming back.